A Harsh Reality
by Codyknight22
Summary: In their second year at Beacon, some truths begin to be realized among the team. Some more details of the past begin to surface, which will either push them closer or pull them apart. Rated M out of nothing but safety and lemon as of Ch. 17: A Citrussy Sting
1. The Beginnings

A Harsh Reality Ch. 1: The Beginnings

**Some pre-story stuff that I'm sure will come up as I'm writing, but I'm way too lazy to actually think it through. This is rated M out of safety and probable sexual implications that will come up later on in the story, but there will be no lemon/smut {as I am too young to properly write that}. It is slightly darker then normal, but I can't write a 100% happy story. For those of you familiar with my work, some of these scenarios might seem oddly familiar. I promise, that is exactly what I intended. I wound up loving some of the background plot I created, and decided to explore those scenarios a little bit more. **

Weiss looked up at her new home, Beacon. Coming off of summer break, she was fairly certain that another year at this school wouldn't kill her. In the past year, she managed to make war with everyone on her team, and then resolve those problems very quickly. Especially their fearless leader, the little girl in the red hood. Weiss pushed open the door to make her way to the dorms, and thought about her teams conversation earlier in the year.

_We can't afford an apartment, _Yang had said. _And the second year dorms are supposed to be better._

_I can easily fund an apartment for all of us, _Weiss argued. _And like I care? I'm sure that there will be some scenario where I have a virtual death sentence hovering above my head._

_Come on Weiss, one more year in the dorms, _Ruby had replied. _And if we find a good improvement, we can go to the third year dorms. If not, we'll switch to an apartment. _

Weiss could never resist her leader for very long, which did nothing but infuriate her even more. As soon as Weiss had learned to accept Ruby as their leader, she found her to be very competent in battle. She still needed a lot of help in way of the classroom, but that Weiss and Blake were both willing to provide.

_Blake, _Weiss thought, testing the word on her tongue. The former White Fang Faunus, the one that Weiss had distrusted right off the bat. Her quiet demeanor never fooled Weiss, never lead her to believe that she was a good girl with an innocent background. That being said, Weiss never anticipated her being a member of the White Fang. If it wasn't for her, Weiss might never of have began to trust Faunus as a whole. She had come to sort of trust Blake, and learning about her true heritage just showed her that maybe the Faunus weren't all that bad.

That left her with Yang. The blonde brawler with a wicked temper for anyone bold enough to comment on her chest, touch her hair, or do anything to harm her little sister. She wasn't a hot head, nor was she always angry. She was probably the second most exuberant person on their team {Ruby taking top on that category} and was just a very happy person. But when she was mad, there was no one who could beat her. Weiss was lucky her qualms had never reached a breaking point with the brawler.

She reached their new dorm, and silently opened up the door. It was 6 in the morning, and Weiss was relatively sure she would be the only one there. She looked in, and saw Blake already lying on her bed, a book propped open in her hands.

"Hey Weiss," Blake said, never taking a moment to look up. "You're here early."

"I could say the same for you," Weiss replied. Blake shrugged, and continued to read her book. Weiss sat down on one of the beds, and looked over by Blake. She could see that she had already setup her bookshelf, and her luggage was unpacked. What she could also see, was that Blake's bed and the bed next to it was already being moved closer together. _Here we go again, _Weiss thought grumpily.

Blake watched the heiress unpack. She held the appearance of reading the book, but was only glancing at the pages. She had read the book before, and it was a favorite tactic of hers when it came to observing their team. She cared for her team, and trusted them wholeheartedly. But if there was one thing that her time in the White Fang taught her, always be prepared for the one's you trust to betray you. It made the pain easier to deal with.

Blake watched as Weiss setup her painting, and look over at the dresser by her bed. She turned around the room, and quickly counted.

"All of us get our own dresser?" She asked. Blake nodded, her face still partially blocked by her book. "What about closets?"

"Still one shared one," Blake replied.

"Damn," Weiss grumbled.

"Only you have anything to put up in there, since Ruby doesn't ever leave her cloak up." Weiss nodded, and pulled out the four white dresses she owned. Her background as an heiress taught her to be prepared to go to anything formal at the drop of a hat, though what that would be at Beacon was beyond Blake.

"When do you think our partners will be here?" Weiss asked, slowly adjusting one of her dresses.

"Knowing how much Yang loves the mornings," Blake added in, a rare smile concealed by her book. "I'd guess around noon."

"That soon?" Weiss asked, somewhat surprised.

"They live together, Weiss. And Ruby is certainly a morning person." Weiss smiled for a moment, and finished putting up her dress. "Orientation is later on," Blake remembered suddenly.

"Orientation?" Weiss asked, clearly confused. "Why do we need orientation?"

"Don't know," Blake added in. "I can't remember ever hearing about a second year class having to through orientation." Weiss just shrugged, and lay back in her bed. She stood up almost immediately, and then looked over by Blake.

"I'm going to grab some coffee," she explained. "You want anything?"

"Tea," Blake replied calmly. Weiss nodded, and exited the dorm. This left Blake with time to think, and time to think was a dangerous thing in Blake's hands.

_10:00: Qrow's Home: The Sisters_

"Come on Yaaaaaang," Ruby said, poking her sleeping sister furiously. "Get uuuuuuppp."

"Mmmm," Yang groaned, turning away from her sister.

"Yaaaaaaaang, we're going to be late."

"Is there anything that we need to be there for?"

"Well, there's orientation at 3:00, and-."

"Wake me up then." Yang curled up into her blankets, and scooted closer to the edge of her bed. Ruby pushed Yang out of the bed, and the blonde stood straight up. "What the fuck?" She asked angrily.

"Yang, we have to unpack, and then meet up with our partners," Ruby said, somewhat sternly. The two girls had mare the bare minimal of attempts to stay in contact with their team, and the other two had certainly made even fewer. Now, they were playing catch up, and Ruby was very excited to play catch up.

"Fine," Yang grumbled. She tossed off her shirt, and carefully put another one on. "Only because I miss Blake and I love you." Ruby smiled, and looked down. She was one step ahead of Yang, and several hours earlier. She ran a quick maintenance check, and waited on the wild girl to wrap up.

_Team RWBY's New Dorm_

Weiss quietly sipped at her coffee, taking great care to avoid burning herself. In the absence of school, her normal responsibilities as an heiress, and her two rambunctious teammates, she found herself with very little to do. Blake read, while Weiss sipped at coffee. She was on her fourth cup, drinking at what most would consider an unhealthy rate. Weiss was fine though, her ability to consume caffeine matched only by the brawler on her team. The door suddenly opened, and Weiss realized what it meant.

"Hellooooo," Yang sang. "How are you two."

"Fine," the other two said in unison.

"Oh," Yang replied, slightly crushed by the calm answers. "Well, we're doing great. How were your summers?"

"Fine," they repeated.

"Do you have anything else to add?" Ruby asked.

"No," they replied. Ruby realized that she had nothing to add, and just set her sights on unpacking. Yang had already started, and they were already being forced to move around the beds to make some room.

When the sisters had finished, the beds were back to being a stacked up mess.

"I knew this would happen!" Weiss said angrily. "A four bedroom apartment, or even three bedroom, and we wouldn't have this issue!"

"Bunk beds!" Ruby said excitedly, completely ignoring her partner. She had already stepped forward, to begin construction, but Weiss had quickly grabbed her eager partner.

"Slow down Ruby," she said as soft as she could. "I will let you take a top bunk, but please avoid suspending it on ropes and threatening my life."

"Do you have any other suggestions?" Blake asked. Weiss started, and stopped immediately.

"Just make sure the ropes are secure," Weiss gave in. The four girls quickly assembled the two bunk beds, and admired their handy-work. Yang and Blake had learned their lesson, and used ropes along with some of Blake's spare books, ones that would be switched out as the year wore on. Weiss and Ruby's bunk bed was assembled with nothing but ropes, but they used a few extra ones this time. Either way, Weiss knew that sleep would be hard to come by that night.

"Alright!" Ruby said, raising her arms back in the air. "Team RWBY is back together!"

_Unknown Location_

He placed down his scroll, and growled angrily. They had stayed apart during the summer, allowing him to work without interruption. But now they were assembled, and that meant issues. He was sure that the few times that Ozpin had sent them after him had completely escaped their mind, but he couldn't forget. He needed to continue to work, but they could be an issue. He needed a way to get to them through his current assets, which meant that he was going to have to run some things through his employer.

**End: Sorry for the shorter chapter, but that's the way I roll for initial chapters not based directly off the plot for RWBY. Setting some shtuff up. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is greatly appreciated {I hope for their to be more, longer chapters}.**


	2. Orientation to a New Year

A Harsh Reality Ch. 2: Orientation to a New Year

Team RWBY walked down the halls, making a beeline for the main room. They had looked up the schedules to learn what the deal with everything was, not understanding why they would be needed. The fourth and third year students all had one earlier then them, with the final one being reserved for the first years. But the walk gave Weiss time to ponder over her team. Something about Ruby returning had made her feel happier. Having her leader to scold was something that Weiss' had subconsciously missed over the summer. But why? She was never a huge fan of the girl in the red hood, always thinking of her as nothing more then a superior that didn't act as such. No matter, her mind needed to be saved for other things for now.

_Beacon Assembly Hall_

The four girls picked a spot out in the crowd, and immediately occupied it. They saw how quickly the place had filled up, not giving them ample room to move over by their friends. Ruby leaned over to Weiss, presumably to ask her something, but she never got the chance. A loud echo was heard throughout the room, and everyone looked up. The mighty professor Ozpin, was standing at the mic. He had a presence that captivated all of them, ensuring their cooperation.

"Hello," he greeted. "It is good to see that so many students survived their first year here at this school, and decided to come again. It is not a sight that I often get to see." The students just continued to stare at him, wondering as to exactly what he was going to say. "I will not try to fool any of you, we've never had an orientation for any students beyond the first year. This year, has presented a very interesting set of circumstances." Now everyone was buzzing, including team RWBY. Ozpin briefly brought his cane down, immediately calming the buzz.

"Pay attention if you would," he boomed. "And I will qualm any rumors before they begin." Everyone settled down, now very careful about when they chose to speak. "Last year, some of you had some very personal experience with criminals. This is nothing uncommon. In fact, it's more common for that to happen then a team to never see any action beyond Grimm. Grimm were our biggest priority as a school, but that has changed." Everyone began to buzz again, and Ozpin slammed his cane one more time.

"I will not ask again," he threatened. Everyone went dead silent, and Ozpin readjusted his glasses. "There are some criminals that have come into light, and it seems as though their purpose is not just money. They are not on our side. The White Fang is the most recognizable name amongst those that I will bring up." Blake's face began to drain of color, and Yang quickly wrapped her arms around her.

"The White Fang used to be very peaceful," he continued. "Then, they became nothing more then thugs. People that would use force to get their way. Now, they have taken the next step. They appear to be very involved in taking down every hunter and huntress out there. They have become a huge enemy of ours, and we believe this man is responsible." The image of a man appeared on the screen, and now it was Ruby's turn to lose some of her already scarce color.

"Roman Torchwick," he said. "A criminal that was nothing more then a very good business man, is somehow a key player in the criminal world. As confirmed by one of our teams, he and the White Fang are working together." Ruby and Blake both looked at each other, and nodded. "Now, they seem to be targeting a lot of dust for something." He paused for a moment, and then made the decision that if they would be involved, all the important parts were necessary.

"Over the summer, there was an investigation conducted." He pointed up at the screen, and three images came on the screen. "We're not sure about the other two, but the one in the middle is named Cinder Fall. Those three are the ones in charge of the whole operation." The screen turned off, and Ozpin looked at the faces of the students. "I know this may not seem significant thing to most of you for now, but I can promise it will be. Every student at Beacon will be called upon at one point or another, and the best ones will receive more action then others. If you are still too young to understand the criminal significance, then view it as better grades." He picked up the mic stand, and began to walk away. "You are all dismissed," he ended.

Team RWBY wasted no time going back to their dorm. They happened to be one of those teams that had close relations with the people Ozpin described, but it stuck with no one more then Blake. The White Fang had turned to thugs, that much she had learned to not lash out at. However, saying they were what they were as awful as they were, didn't sit well with her. _How could they? _She wondered. _I know many of them. I don't think that any of them would ever be that cruel. Then again, I've been wrong about them too._

Blake felt a sense of coldness come over her, and she shuddered.

"You could Blakey?" Yang asked, noticing the shiver. Blake realized that if she said no, they would become suspicious. There was one thing she hated, and that was when people asked questions about her past. She nodded, and Yang wrapped her arm around the cat Faunus. She flared her aura briefly, heating the cat Faunus right up. "You good?" Yang asked. Blake nodded.

"Thanks," she said, unhooking Yang's arm. There was a piece of her that wished she hadn't do that. Not because she was cold, no she was far from it. Over the past year, no one was quite as close with her as Yang. Yang was often seen as wild, strong willed, reckless, but in her heart she was very caring and innocent. The main difference between her new friends and her old ones, was that they had taken an oath to protect all, and that included her new partner. Yang resumed poking fun at her sister, and Blake just observed her carefully. _She won't hurt me, _Blake thought. _Not like he did._

_Unknown Location_

He walked down the halls, greeting the men working for him as he walked. It was a long time coming. The main reason that he was hired was his background as a business man. He didn't make much money legally, but what he did make, he kept. He could see a problem before it had a chance to materialize itself, and this was most definitely a problem waiting to happen. He swiftly entered the conference room, and saw his employers with one other person, gathered around a table.

"Hello," he said. "I have something that you might be interested in."

"Not now Roman," the woman in the red dress said. "We're busy."

"Whatever it is that you're busy about can wait."

"That's our decision to make," the man to her right said.

"But you must value my eye for business, and when a serious competitor comes to view."

"Let him talk," the girl with white hair added. "If we dislike what he says, we can just cut his pay."

"Woho," he called out, raising up his cane. "No need to be so drastic."

"Talk," the one in red said.

"Fine. We have a serious issue." He walked forward, and laid out a large scroll. "The girls that stopped several of my operations last year, Red and her friends." Torchwick pulled up their images, and one of them took a long stare at the images. "Since you have some of our joint business partners with us, I figured that maybe one of them might have a way to break them."

"What a ridiculous plan," the man spat. "Get out of here. Expect a-."

"I know her," someone said. He was the one that had taken a moment to look at their images. "Do you know their actual names?" He asked to the one standing over the images. He let out a grin, and went to light a cigar.

"I can't say I do," he replied confidentially. "But it sounds like you do." He nodded. "Now tell me, what would our representative from the White Fang know about one of these girls?"

"You'd be surprised."

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The four girls walked in, all of them buzzing silently.

"So that Torchwick guy is in something deep?" Ruby asked to her team.

"Looks to be that way sis," Yang replied.

"So I really did something good?" Everyone let out a small laugh at their leader's statement, and walked over to their beds. Before everyone sat down, Weiss made a decision.

"I'm getting in a shower before any of you can," she stated, quickly picking up her pajamas. Everyone groaned, but Weiss generally liked to use colder water so it was fine by them that she goes first.

Weiss stepped in, and turned the water to a medium temperature. She wouldn't waste all the hot water {though it was difficult to do with the dust water heaters} but she wouldn't freeze herself to death. She let the water run down her body, and thought about her return. Those people that were displayed on the monitor sent chills down her spine. All of them, horrible, evil, everything that she stood against. Not to mention that they were the reason that her father was the way he was. That was something that she couldn't stand for. Blake had already offered her some help, easing off some of the fire from the White Fang. Weiss cranked down the temperature, and shook them from her minds.

She wandered her thoughts to her team, more specifically her leader. It had felt good to see Ruby again, and Weiss knew the reason why. It was something she had denied, but now that she was left alone with her face fresh in her mind, she couldn't deny it. She deeply cared for the girl. More deeply then she ever wanted Ruby to know. She had accepted Weiss, tried to be friendly, even after Weiss performed her whole loner bitch routine. Weiss almost never let people close to her, fearing that they'd hurt her in the same ways that her father did. Her hand ran over her shoulders, down her chest, over her stomach, and she felt her hand run over many scars on her way down. She finally planted the image of her leader in her mind, and brought her hand in between her thighs.

The other three girls were sitting on their beds, awaiting Weiss' exit from the bathroom. Ruby sat on her bunk, carefully testing the ropes strength. Last year, they had avoided killing Weiss with the bed. This year, they were a little more cautious. Odds were that Ruby and Yang wouldn't intentionally fray the ropes to scare the heiress, since they wound up almost killing her anyway. She placed Crescent Rose on a wall mount that had been gifted to her on her last birthday. She quickly lay back in her bunk, and just thought about the year.

The arrival of Torchwick was certainly going to throw a wrench at her hopes of a fun, Grimm filled year. But it didn't matter to her, so long as she saw action. Ruby was never one to idle and let things to happen. That also brought her mind away from thinking about anything personal. She had Yang, but she never thought about the rest of her team past the point of just being teammates and friends. Ruby was always a little clingy, making her and Weiss' initial relationship a bit difficult. Since then, they had gotten along in a decent manner. Weiss was still cold, but a little bit less so.

Then there was Blake. Yang seemed to of have gotten through to her, but Blake shut everyone else out. No one really knew why, but they always attributed it to her past. The past that no matter how hard they tried, she kept away from them. They knew about as much as anyone outside of their team did {that she had started young, and left after a while} but they wanted nothing more then to break past her exterior. Blake, just wouldn't let them. Ruby sighed, and watched as her sister trudged across the room. She angrily knocked on the bathroom door, and turned her gaze at the doorknob.

"What's taking so long?" Yang yelled. "Hurry it up!"

"Hang on!" Weiss yelled back, panic somewhat evident in her voice. "I'm getting out now." Another minute passed, and Weiss was out in her pajama dress. She silently walked into her bed, and laid down. Yang walked into the bathroom next, leaving the other three members on their own.

"What did take you so long?" Ruby asked, poking her head down to Weiss' bunk.

"I had to finish," Weiss replied, somewhat proud of her own play on words.

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and above all else, feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	3. A Game of Cat and Bull

A Harsh Reality Ch. 3: A Game of Cat and Bull

**Making titles is hard. I like the SpellChecker13 guy that left a comment, because I thought that was really funny. Also, someone said my stories were better then Rapey Lemons' stories. HAHAHA. Good joke.**

The sun peaked over the window, forcing the four girls to wake up. They had learned to wake up with the sun, especially since they had no curtains at the moment. Those, Weiss set out to purchase that day. They were required to arrive earlier then classes would actually begin, thus giving them the day to what they pleased. Three of the four girls had nothing planned, but one was rather excited for this.

"Alright team RWBY!" Ruby said, practically bouncing off the walls. "Today, we need to get some things. Yang, Blake, you are in charge of getting us food. Me and Weiss will get some curtains." Weiss took a step away from the girl. Had she heard?

"W-w-why me and you?" She said, cursing herself for stumbling over her own words.

"Because we need to readjust to our partners," Ruby said, her voice implying the duh. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief, but then it turned to fear. _An entire day with Ruby, _Weiss thought. _I can't blow this now. _"Are we ready to go?" Ruby asked, looking at everyone eagerly.

"As soon as we get dressed," Yang said with a laugh. She ruffled Ruby's hair, and walked over to the bathroom.

"Oh, right," Ruby said, slightly embarrassed.

_Unknown Location_

He intently listened to the end of the man's story. His employers were also listening along, very intrigued by the news that they were getting. His plan had worked, and now he had an excellent opportunity to get through to the problem before it really started.

"And then she left," he finished. "We've never seen her. Only a few of us ever had interaction with her, seeing as of how she was one of our best stealth agents. I always wondered what had happened to her, but I guess I know." He suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of rage. "When will get a chance to kill her?"

"Hopefully soon," he replied, lighting another cigar.

"Roman!" The woman in the red dress snapped. "That's not our goal right now. Our goal, is simply to get into their heads. I believe that our associate here has presented a great way to do so. Tell me, who was her partner?"

"One of our top operatives," the White Fang leader replied. "A man by the name of Adam Taurus."

"Get him for me," she said, resting a ball of flames in her hand. "And get me a current location on the cat." One of the standard guards ran off, and the White Fang leader made a phone call. "Let's see how much you really remember kitty cat."

_Swept Away Fabrics_

Ruby dragged her partner over to the store, and pointed up eagerly. Weiss was secretly enjoying herself. Ruby had dragged her over to an ice cream cart to get some ice cream. Weiss had initially refused, but Ruby ordered her vanilla for her while purchasing a cherry for herself. Weiss tried to keep on a bitter look the whole time, but it was difficult when her partner was having such a great time. Now, they had finally reached the curtain store.

"Come on Weiss," Ruby said, keeping an iron grip on her partner's arm.

"Slow down Ruby," Weiss said, trying to pry her partners arm off of her own. "It's not going to alter the course of the fabrics if we're not there right now." Ruby paid no attention to her, and just walked inside. Weiss sighed, and was forced to follow her.

The store was massive. As it's title suggested, the place sold everything fabric based. Curtains, blankets, everything. Ruby started to run off in one direction, and Weiss grabbed a hold of her hood.

"Oh no you don't," she growled. "I know my way around a fabric store and you don't." Ruby pouted a little, and Weiss couldn't help but feel a little bad. That feeling was dispersed with as soon as she remembered their goal. She adored Ruby, and everyone's gut instinct was sadness when they saw the girl's pouting face. That being said, she still knew that she was right. "This way," Weiss demanded.

The two girls walked into the curtains section, and started to look around. Ruby was completely unaware of what was going on with Weiss. She took it as her partner being happy to be back, and nothing more. While Weiss was trying as hard as she could to fool her partner, lead her down the wrong path. She ran her hands through another curtain, and thought a little more about her partner. How Weiss wanted her to know how she felt, but there were some very obvious obstacles. One, Weiss had no idea whether or nor she was straight. If Ruby was straight, all of her hopes would go out the window. The second, slightly less pressing, issue was that Weiss just couldn't find a way to tell her.

"That's a nice fabric," someone said. Weiss jumped a little, and turned to see her bright-eyed leader staring at the fabric her hand was resting on. Weiss realized that she hadn't moved for five minutes, and quickly looked down. It was a soft, medium-thickness, red fabric. Her mind had even brought her to red. "Should we get it?" Ruby asked innocently. Weiss looked around for a brief moment, and then inhaled internally.

"Of course you dolt," Weiss snapped. "I'm not staying here because I like the lighting!" Ruby seemed slightly sad at Weiss' outburst, causing Weiss to feel a little hurt. Her outburst might cause her to lose Ruby, but she had to hold onto some hope. _This heiress is going to find someway to get through to her, _Weiss thought.

_Central Market_

Blake and Yang paid the dealer, and grabbed the other bag of food. The two walked back to Bumblebee, and set down the bag in the back compartment that Yang had attached.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Blake asked, looking over the new modifications.

"Of course it will," Yang said confidentially.

"Why not just get a car?" Yang gasped in horror, and wrapped her arms around Bumblebee.

"And get rid of my baby?" She asked in a shocked tone. "Are you joking?"

"I mean on top of it." Yang relaxed, and released her grip from the motorcycle.

"I would never use it," Yang replied seriously. "I'm too attached." Blake shrugged, and turned to walk away. Yang trailed behind her, and wished that she hadn't seemed so attached to Bumblebee. She had already stated to her sister that she had missed Blake, but her true motives were hidden. Yang had seen her fair share of boys and girls come and go, mostly given that she hadn't really given much thought to being forced to like them for anything longer then a few days. Sure, she had Ruby that she cared about for years, but it was creepy to compare the two in that light. Then came Blake. A partner that Yang was going to have to work with. Luckily, the two got along famously. More so in Yang's mind, but Blake was so secretive that Yang could never tell if she was interested in any way. She would have to take the initiative, but that just wasn't going to happen until Yang saw a chance.

The two girls walked along to the next merchant to get some produce. Neither of them were really talking all that much, but that was their standard relationship. Yang started to talk with the merchant, picking out the fruit and learning to price of it. Blake let her eyes wander, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Something briefly caught her attention, and then it was gone. She saw it again, but it disappeared just as quickly. Blake felt her heart drop, and she turned to Yang.

"I'm headed to the bathroom," she said briefly, already walking away.

"Just be fast," Yang called out to the departing Faunus. "I'll need you help carrying this." Blake nodded, and pushed her way through the crowd.

She kept going, until she found a place that sold beverages. She got a cup of tea, and sat down on a bench. She felt someone else sit down next to her, and she never had to turn.

"Hello Blake," a gruff voice said.

"Hello Adam," she replied.

"Long time no see, partner." Blake sipped at her tea, leaving Adam to his own devices. "Did you ever think of what you leaving would do to me?" Blake sipped at her tea again. "I should just kill you right now."

"Adam," Blake said, setting aside her tea. "We were partners, but not anymore. What leaving would do to you? You were already turning into a monster. And I know you can't kill me. I'm sure that you would of have already tried to do so if there weren't orders strictly stating that you couldn't."

"You got that right kitty cat," he said. "I'm just here as a messenger."

"Oh, you've fallen on some hard times."

"Quiet! I just want to tell you, that no matter what road you go down, you will hate the end results." He stood up, and walked away. Blake let out the breath that she had held onto, and tipped over slightly. She had kept her emotions pent up well, something that was hard to do in the face of her former partner. She had trusted him, deeply cared about him, thought the world of him, and he betrayed that. He turned into an evil man, forcing her to leave the White Fang. She still harbored feelings for them, and not all of them were negative. Blake quickly purchased a cup of coffee, and left to get to Yang.

_Unknown Location_

"He's calling in now," the White Fang leader said. The three primary employers, Roman, and the leader were all gathered around the scroll, eagerly awaiting the report. Adam's video feed came up, and they wasted no more time. "What do you have?" The White Fang leader asked.

"I talked with her," Adam replied. "Told her the message, told her what you wanted me to say."

"And?" Roman asked, puffing out the smoke from his cigar.

"And nothing more. But if there's one thing I can promise about Blake, it's that the quieter she gets, the closer we are to breaking her."

"Excellent news," the woman in red said. "Head back, and we'll let you know when we need you again. This little kitty, will go down in flames."

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	4. As We Inch Closer

A Harsh Reality Ch. 4: As We Inch Closer

**Give me angst and pain, I want to see Blake break. First time someone has ever requested the angst... Can't spoil anything though...**

Blake returned to her partner, and gave her the cup of coffee.

"There you are," Yang said, gratefully taking a swig of her coffee. "What took you so long?" Blake pointed to her coffee, using her other hand to take another sip of her tea. "Why did that take you so long?"

"There was a line," Blake said, unwilling to reveal anything more.

"Well I had to shuttle all of this stuff to Bumblebee," Yang said, pointing to the full basket of food. "I should make you walk for that." Blake was already turning to walk away, determined to call Yang on her bluff. "No, wait!" Yang cried out. "Kidding, hop on the back." Blake smiled, and jumped just in front of the food. "Make sure it doesn't fly off," Yang called out, taking a seat on the front. Blake nodded, and waited for her partner to fire up the engine.

Blake's arms were clinging to Yang's waist, since the girl refused to get any form of safety things attached to the back. _Then I won't get to watch people scream like they were five, _was Yang's argument. Blake was fine with it of course, but for some reason that wasn't the most prevalent thing in her mind. Adam. He was back in her life, and it was on terms that were as friendly as Blake had expected. She had worked her mind into a state where she thought that maybe she felt nothing more for him, but seeing him only confirmed her fears. She still held a lot of feelings for him, making the inevitable task that would come just that much more difficult. He was, after all, the reason that she still wasn't totally comfortable with investing her feelings into her team.

Yang had her mind far from anything negative. Blake's arms were currently wrapped around her waist, which was the real reason she never added in any other safety item to the back. What fun would that be? She didn't really mind taking two trips to get the produce, especially since the vendor was kind enough to offer some assistance, but of course Blake didn't need to know that. Maybe Yang could cash in on this later on, find that moment. She quickly shook the thoughts from her mind. She needed something a little more subtle. She needed someone that was close to her, someone that would randomly ask questions that wouldn't raise suspicion, someone that she could trust. Yang smiled to herself, realizing that she had just given the perfect description of someone she knew.

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss was sitting on the bed, watching over Ruby as she hung up the curtains. When they had first arrived, Weiss had immediately started to hang them up. Ruby quickly insisted that it would be better if Weiss walked her through it, and watched over the process. Weiss agreed, since Ruby's argument that she had the better eye made sense. Plus, Weiss needed to keep up her image of the heiress in order to avoid suspicion.

"Move it a little to the left," Weiss called out. Ruby did so, and then looked back at Weiss. "Try a little bit more." Ruby quickly complied, and then all of Weiss' view was blocked by the girl. She almost raised her voice to ask her to move, but it should of have been in the right spot. Ruby looked back, and her face filled with confusion.

"Why are you smiling?" Ruby asked. Weiss immediately wiped the smile off her face, and changed it to a disapproving look.

"Because the curtain is finally hung up!" She snapped. Ruby just shrugged, and stepped away from the window. She seemed proud of her work, and climbed on top of her bed. It rocked slightly, causing Weiss to inhale sharply. Ruby peeked her head out, but then realized why she seemed to be so panicked. Ruby immediately returned to laying in her bed, and checked through her book. Ruby had jokingly sketched out several things, but she found herself enjoying it to an extent where she picked it up as a hobby. It was something that she just did easily, and attended to it on a regular basis.

She turned the page, and started fresh on a new sketch. Over the summer, she had drawn Yang, Blake, Weiss, and even herself. She had drawn all of them as a team, but never once had she drawn them as partners. She started on Blake and Yang, and patiently awaited the two muses return.

The door opened up, and Blake silently entered the dorm. She quickly started to store some of the food, ignoring the looks from Weiss and Ruby.

"Where's Yang?" Ruby asked, still looking around for her older sister.

"Getting the rest of the food," Blake replied. "She dropped me off out front and had me take most of the food, so that there would be less to take back." Ruby nodded, and studied over the cat Faunus carefully. She took in as many details as her eyes would allow, and went to work on the image. She started on the bow, and then immediately removed it from the picture. She started on a pair of cat ears, and smiled to herself. Blake only ever took off her bow inside of the dorm, still refusing to do it in public. Ruby quickly finished up the basic outline, and started to add in the details. Just as she reached the girls eye, the door banged open.

"I'm baaaaaack," Yang boomed.

"We noticed," Weiss grumbled, silently opening up her book. Yang tossed down the non-perishable items on the counter, and looked over their new food.

"So dinner's soon," she remarked. "And who wants to cook?"

"Didn't you get anything that wouldn't require cooking?" Weiss asked. "Like, just something to heat up."

"Woho, the heiress is willing to compromise?" Yang asked, mocking surprise.

"Of course I am you dolt! I did for all of last year." Yang realized that her joke was killed, and just sifted through the food. She finally pulled out four microwavable meals, and tossed them in.

"This new dorm is so fancy," Yang remarked, looking over the small section dedicated to being a kitchen. "We have a kitchen, a microwave, a fridge. Who needs an apartment?" Weiss grumbled to herself, making remarks about the value of an apartment over a dorm. "Anyways, we didn't pick up any drinks."

"What?" Weiss asked. "We sent you out to handle our other provisions, and you pick up no drinks?" Yang nodded, seeming to only now realize the error.

"So, could you get some sort of drinks for tonight?" Yang tried. Before Weiss could protest, Yang played her hand. "Blake could go with you, and then me and Ruby could get some more drinks tomorrow. Classes don't start till Monday anyway." Weiss just puffed out an angry breath, and went to storm out the door.

"Thanks for volunteering me," Blake said in mock anger.

"Always a pleasure," Yang replied with a smile.

"LET'S GO," Weiss yelled out from the hall. Blake closed the door behind her, leaving the sisters alone.

"Just like old times," Ruby said, her sketch book in her hands. She quickly finished up the final details on Blake, and looked over to Yang.

"What you doing?" Yang asked, climbing onto her sister's bed.

"Drawing," Ruby replied simply, taking a long look at her sister. "Hold still for a second." Yang smiled, and just stayed in her pose. "Okay, good." Yang relaxed, and laid down next to her sister. She took a peek at her sisters drawing, and realized that it was just her and Blake. Why was she drawing just them? Did she know?

"What ya drawing?" Yang asked, trying to pose the question in as subtle of a manner as possible.

"Well," Ruby said. "I've drawn everyone individually, I've drawn us as a team, I just haven't drawn us in our pairs." Yang breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized that it was completely pointless because of her request.

"Can you do me a favor?" Yang asked, hoping her sister would say yes. Ruby nodded, still checking over some of her details. "Can you ask Blake if she's straight?" The sketchbook fell from Ruby's hands, and she took a long look at her sister. "I realize how this sounds, but can you do it?"

"B-b-but." Ruby stuttered. "Why me?"

"Because no one will ask questions if you ask a question like that," Yang explained, completely serious. "It's too obvious if I were to do it."

"What if Blake takes it the wrong way?" Ruby cried indignantly.

"She won't, trust me." Ruby sighed, and resumed drawing.

"I'll do it," she groaned. Yang wrapped her arms around her sister, crushing her in a large hug.

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"Stop-let-go!"

_Nearby Store_

Weiss placed down the lien for the small box of waters, and nodded in thanks. She handed them over to Blake, who just gave her a long look.

"I pay, you carry, and you forgot," Weiss said. "Now walk." Blake sighed, and took the box from Weiss. The two walked on in silence, and Blake noticed something. A slight glow, something that was very faint, something that wouldn't of have seemed significant to anyone else, but Blake recognized the glow. She immediately picked up the pace, trying to get to her dorm faster.

"Slow down!" Weiss called out. "Why are you going at this pace?"

"It's cold," Blake said simply, remembering that the heiress' semblance eliminated her need to keep shielded from the cold, only lending itself to her nickname. Weiss still wasn't buying it though.

"But it's August," Weiss said. "And it's probably not that cold out." Blake spotted the glow again, and realized that it was far enough away for her to believe that it was just scouting.

"I have terrible tolerance for the cold," Blake lied.

"Aren't you a cat Faunus?" Weiss asked, her tone implying the joke. Blake smiled at the heiress' words.

"Believe it or not, I am not covered head to toe in fur." Weiss allowed herself a small laugh, and the two girls continued on. But now Blake was alerted to the presence of a White Fang, a presence that was most likely Adam.

_Nearby_

He watched her move along. She was with the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the very people that they were trying to take down when she left. Now, the Schnee Dust Company had changed it's labor laws, gave more rights to the Faunus. He knew that it was by no design of the company, it had to be by Blake. He pulled out his scroll, and documented his finds. One day, he would get to her. He didn't know how, or even if his hopes would be realized, but it was going to happen. And when it did, he was going to be very excited to let his former partner know _exactly _how he felt.

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Blake and Weiss reentered the room, and quickly set down the waters. Weiss wordlessly grabbed a bottle, and tossed it over to Ruby. She grabbed one for herself, and then sat down on her bed. Yang held up her arms in a gesture of confusion.

"You forgot," Weiss said. "Blake can get you one, but I'm not." Yang shrugged, and hopped down from her bed. She grabbed herself a bottle of water, and walked back over to her bed.

"You finished yet?" Yang asked Ruby, noticing that the colored pencils were laying by her sister.

"Been finished," Ruby replied with a grin. "I'm finishing up the second drawing."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yang cried.

"You weren't paying attention when I did, don't know what you were doing." Yang blushed slightly, but walked over to her.

"Can I see?" Ruby nodded, and handed over the finished image. Yang was standing, her knees slightly bent, ready to run, Ember Celica activated, flames around her, and her hair floating behind her. Blake was crouched on the ground, Gambol Shroud poised behind her, her eyes trained forward, and her ears would of have been twitching if they could of have moved. Both of them were right next to each other, and Yang marveled over the improvement.

"Hey Blake, take a look at this," she said, holding out the picture. Blake looked over it, and nodded approvingly. "Mind if I keep this?" Yang asked Ruby. Ruby nodded, and Yang took it back to her bunk. She was always very proud of her sisters work, but this was very impressive.

Ruby placed down the sketch book, and put away her pencils.

"You finished the other picture?" Yang called out. Ruby nodded, and walked over to the kitchen for her microwavable meal. "Can I-?"

"Yang, the answers always yes," Ruby said, going into the kitchen to grab her microwavable meal. Weiss was about to join, but curiosity got the best of her. If Ruby had just drawn Blake and Yang, then logically she would of have drawn herself and Weiss. She quickly walked over to Yang, and looked over at the drawing. Weiss had her sword planted in the ground, a glyph both under and behind her. Ice coated her hair, and lined her arms down to Myrtenaster. Ruby was in the process of a spin, Crescent Rose out to her side, and rose petals floating around her. Weiss looked over at Yang, and let her eyes do the questioning.

Blake and Ruby were both waiting by the microwave for their meals to finish. Ruby had grabbed the one with mac and cheese, while Blake had grabbed the one with tuna. Ruby looked over, and saw that Yang and Weiss were both preoccupied in a conversation. _Now's my chance, _Ruby thought.

"Hey Blake?" She asked.

"Hmmmm?" She asked, looking out the closest window.

"Do you like boys or girls?" Now Blake dead stopped. If there was anything that she would of have expected to be a question from the innocent girl, this was certainly pretty low on the list.

"Why do you ask?" Blake asked, trying to sound as non-flustered as possible. Ruby just shrugged.

"I just see Yang have a bunch of boys and girls come and go, and I got curious," Ruby replied, thinking it sounded somewhat reasonable. "None this summer though, which is strange..." Ruby trailed off, suddenly realizing just the sheer significance of why Yang asked her to ask Blake this. Blake's mind didn't jump to the conclusion that Yang might have put her up to this, especially knowing Ruby and her question asking habits.

"Haven't given it much thought," Blake said absentmindedly, her thoughts bringing her to Adam. But, there were times that she felt more attracted to girls, which gave her an answer. "Both, I guess."

"That's cool," Ruby said, grabbing her food from the microwave. She walked away, and immediately walked over to her sister. She gently removed the picture from the sketch book, and looked over at Weiss.

"Oh, umm, do you want this?" She asked awkwardly.

"Sure," Weiss said, trying not to sound excited over the recent events. Ruby handed over the image, and leaned over to Yang.

"Both," she whispered. Ruby immediately climbed into her bed, and began to eat.

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	5. The Day Before Doom Classes

A Harsh Reality Ch. 5: The Day Before Doom {Classes}

**Sorry for the fuckups on updating my last chapter. It didn't get pushed to most recent on the website, and being a dumb shit I decided to re-upload it. Fucked up on the chapter title, and so I deleted it for no reason. Man, am I intelligent. Also, 10 followers {hurray!}. Thank you to all of you keeping tabs with this story so early on.**

He silently stalked around the outside of the school, awaiting his chance. If his orders didn't explicitly state against it, he would of have already made his move to kill Blake. Either way, he had to wait. She was always with her new _friends, _making it difficult for him to take them on. He had heard some tales of their prowess from Roman, and he knew that all of them were more then capable fighters. He would have to wait for his chance to strike, and that was going to be a point outside of the school, and with help. Either way, he was going after Blake. All he could do, was hope that she still had positive feelings for him.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm: Morning_

Ruby woke up, and let out a large stretch. She silently dropped down from her bunk, and then realized that Blake was also up. The cat Faunus was sitting by the window, her bow in her hands. She was taking a long look outside, seemingly looking for something. Ruby silently walked out to her, and sat down behind her.

"Hey Blake," she whispered. Blake jumped quietly, and then looked behind her.

"Oh, hey Ruby," Blake whispered back. "You scared me." Ruby continued to stare at her, and then brought her gaze outside.

"What ya looking for?" Ruby asked innocently, trying to lean out in front of the Faunus. Blake quickly pushed Ruby back in, trying to avoid a circumstance in which her leader fell out the window.

"I'm just looking," Blake replied, holding onto her bow a little bit closer.

"Well why don't you have your bow on?"

"Because I don't need it on," Blake replied, now getting slightly more guarded. "Do you want anything?"

"Oh, I just came by to say hi." Ruby looked like she might leave, but then she decided otherwise. "I'm sorry about my question," Ruby said quickly. Blake was caught off guard again.

"Why?" Blake asked, slightly amused at her leader.

"Oh, it might be something that you didn't want to share." Blake smiled at her young leader. She trusted Ruby, trusted her to lead, and trusted her in combat. That being said, her youthful innocence made it hard to not feel some sort of protective energy to her.

"You're fine," Blake comforted her. Ruby's shoulders seemed to relax, but there was one main reason that she was fine. Blake had seen the exchange between Ruby and Yang, and it was very easy to guess as to what they were exchanging. It just so happened to be that Yang volunteers her to go out with Weiss, her sister asks the question, and then they share some silent words. Blake was very observant, and it worked against them in this situation. Blake just had to figure out what exactly Yang hoped to gain through this.

_Three Hours Later_

Yang slowly fluttered her eyes open, and immediately rolled over. She wanted to pretend to be asleep for as long as possible, and maybe it would come true.

"Oh good, you're up," a voice said. Yang reopened her eyes, and saw Ruby sitting near her bed. "Now everyone's up." Yang groaned, and felt herself being dragged out of the bed.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Weiss asked, watching as the blonde was dragged from her bed.

"She won't get up otherwise," Ruby said. "Or, until she's needed. And this time, that won't happen until tomorrow." Ruby turned her attention to her sister. "Yang, don't make me pour water on you." Now Yang shot up, and glared at her sister.

"You wouldn't," she growled.

"I would," Ruby replied confidently. Yang groaned, and dragged herself to the bathroom.

"Just so you know," she yelled out. "I hate you."

"Love you too." Yang opened up the door, and slammed it shut. She immediately turned on the water to hot, and started to strip down. Yang looked at her naked form in the mirror, and allowed herself a smile. Yang was always a person that was very confident, and she had a lot of reasons to be. Now, she needed something to boost herself. The odds that Blake hadn't caught on to the fact that someone else put Ruby up to that question were very slim, and more so in the favor that Blake knew it was Yang that had put her up to it. That immediately made Yang panic, but the warmth of the water should soothe her. She stepped in, and let the heat pour down her body. She used it as another opportunity to think, but she didn't keep it up for very long. She would have to pick a perfect moment, and do it in a perfect way.

Inside the dorm, the other three members of RWBY were just sitting idly on their beds. Ruby wanted to sketch some more, but she didn't know exactly what to draw. Weiss was looking through her old books, trying to re-learn everything she had forgotten. Blake was "reading," but she was really observing the rest of her team.

Weiss found her mind unable to focus, wandering once again to her team. She was thinking about them in a frustratingly large amount of time as of late, with most of her mind being occupied by her leader. But now, she was wondering about Blake. The girl was always shifty, which Weiss attributed to her background and unwillingness to share her past. Now, she was acting especially shifty. Sitting by the windows, no longer wearing her bow, always checking around her. Not to mention that when she had returned from the food, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Something was going on with their cat friend, and Weiss was positive that neither of her teammates realized it. Her chance to talk with Blake would arise when Ruby and Yang were getting drinks.

Ruby finished up another sketch of a Beowolf fight, and put it to the side. She could hear the sounds of Yang finishing up her shower, signifying that they would be leaving as soon as Yang finished her hair. Ruby realized the main flaw with her plan, and that was assuming Yang would be done soon. She let out a heavy sigh, and picked up her sketch book again.

Blake continued to look out the window, trying to pick out Adam. She didn't want to tell Ozpin what was going on, because she was almost positive that he would arrest him. Blake didn't want that, but she didn't know why. Her mind trailed to another issue in her world at the moment, Yang. What was it with the blonde brawler? Why would she set her sister up to ask that question? Subtle wasn't Yang's best trait, and having her sister share her findings in the middle of their room. Blake found it very easy to hang it up as the brawler wanting to learn everything she could about her partner.

Yang finally exited the bathroom, and immediately grabbed the keys to Bumblebee.

"Wait," Blake said, seeing her action. "You're taking that again?"

"Yeah," Yang said casually. "And?"

"Well, you're little sister is on the back, and she's so young."

"Ruby's old enough to do a lot of things," Yang argued. Weiss now lifted up her eyes, almost convinced that her blunt teammate was fucking with her. "She can ride on the back of motorcycle, drink, drive, and-."

"Wait!" Weiss said, raising up her hand. "What did you say?"

"Drive?" Yang asked.

"No, go back one."

"Drink?" Yang tried again.

"Yes, why did you say that?"

"Oh sure, like you guys waited until you were of legal age." Now Weiss and Blake looked at each other, and then back at Yang. "Point made. Anyways, let's go Ruby." Ruby hopped to her feet, and grabbed Crescent Rose.

"We'll be back soon," Ruby said. The door closed, leaving Weiss and Blake to themselves.

A few minutes passed, and Weiss started to wait for a chance. She hadn't turned a page in minutes, leading her to believe that Blake knew that something was on her mind. Maybe she'd wait for Blake to say something. Maybe, she could-.

"What's up?" Blake asked, turning another page in her book. Well, so much for any of her other plans.

"Why do you ask?" Weiss tried, doing everything that she could to keep up the appearance that she was surprised.

"You have been studying for over 10 minutes, and yet you have yet to turn another page. So, what's on your mind." Blake seemed bored by the turn of events, but it was time Weiss got involved.

"Noting's really on my mind, just you." Now Blake put down her book. Was it really Weiss that put Ruby up to the question? "Something seems to be bothering you." And there goes that thought. "So what's up?"

"Nothing," Blake said, picking her book back up.

"Then why'd you put your book down?" Weiss challenged.

"I thought you were implying something else..." Blake trailed off, realizing that she had to reveal one of two things. It was going to be an easy pick if it came down to it.

"Implying what?" Weiss asked in a curious tone.

"Ruby asked me a question yesterday, and I was relatively positive that Yang had put her up to it. Your statement, led me to you." Blake continued on in her book, but now Weiss was very curious as to what her teammate was talking about. Normally, Weiss could care less about inner team drama, but since it involved all three of her teammates, she decided to take a stab at it.

"What question?" She tried. Blake sighed, but Weiss pushed forward. "Since this question clearly involves all of my teammates, I think that I have a right to know." Blake sighed again, realizing how right Weiss was.

"The question was one that would appear innocent in Ruby's hands, but maniacle in anyone else's, especially Yang." Weiss just leaned towards the girl in black, and she sighed for the third time. "Do I like boys or girls." Weiss dead stopped. She opened up her mouth, but found it closed immediately.

"Do... You... What?" Blake shrugged, and continued to read.

"I'm sure it was just Yang trying to set up her solitary partner on a date, to which I will easily reject." Weiss figured there was more to it, but decided to leave it alone for now. Especially since Blake clearly was choosing to not think about it at that moment, or simply refusing to believe what she knew to be true.

_Market Grounds_

Yang and Ruby quickly paid the merchant, and both of them picked up the large cases of water. It would last them the month, or possibly less. That did depend on whether or not they would ever bother to refill the bottles. The two girls started to walk back to Bumblebee, with the larger of the two crates resting in Yang's arms.

"Hey Yang," Ruby asked, trying to sound as sweet as possible.

"What?" Yang asked with a heavy sigh.

"Why exactly did you have me ask Blake that question?" Yang paused for a moment, unsure of what to tell her sister. "And don't try to play it off as nothing, I know that much." Yang realized that her sister wasn't quite as willing to just go along with things anymore, not now that she was also her leader.

"Well, she's my partner," Yang tried. "I wanted to know everything I could. But if I asked her, it might give Blake the wrong impression."

"Yang, I've seen you with girls, I know you're not 100% straight."

"That would be called bi," Yang corrected with a smile.

"Whatever!" Yang let out a laugh, and continued along her path. "But do you have feelings for Blake?"

"Why are you so curious?" Yang asked, trying to distract her sister. Despite the fact that Ruby was not a Faunus, she seemed to be very similar to a cat in a key way. If she was ever getting too close to something, or started to play with something she shouldn't be, all that you had to do was point a laser pointer in one direction. Ruby would pounce out at it, and leave it alone. Yang, had just re-angled the laser pointer.

"Because you're my older sister," Ruby said, her eyes getting large and soft. "And I care about you, and I'm your leader."

"Awww," Yang said. She almost reached out her arm, but then remembered that she couldn't. "No other reason though?" Ruby shook her head, but did so in the same manner of a toddler in trouble. "Ruuuby," Yang scolded. "Tell me what you did."

"No, I didn't do anything!" Ruby said quickly. "It's-." She stopped, and then took a deep breath in. "It's nothing."

"What?!" Yang cried, the curiosity getting the better of her.

"Do you think I'm attractive?" Ruby asked her partner. Yang was completely caught off guard. "I mean, I know we're technically sisters, but it's not weird, right?" Yang was too stunned to speak for a moment, but then decided to continue on.

"No, I guess it isn't," Yang finally said. "And sure, you're adorable."

"No, I mean attractive. I know that people think I'm adorable, but am I attractive?" Yang really had to think. It was nothing that had ever come up in her thoughts of Ruby, leading her to take longer.

"Why the sudden curiosity?" Yang asked, not really expecting an answer, just hoping to buy some time.

"I don't know, it just seems like everyone is finding someone that they care about, and I'm just the adorable one." Ruby began to pout from behind her crate, which was not helping her image at the moment.

"Who's finding someone they care about around us?" Yang asked, now curious as to who Ruby was talking about.

"Well, there's Pyrrha and Jaune, you and Blake, Weiss seems to care about someone, there's-."

"Wait!" Yang said, holding up her hand. "I never said that I cared for Blake in that way, and she especially didn't for me. And why are you assuming Weiss?" Ruby shrugged.

"I don't know, something just always seems to be invading her thoughts, and it makes her smile, and I don't think she realizes how frequently she does it." Yang sighed deeply, cursing herself for not having noticed it. She was Yang, the resident gossip girl, this was supposed to be in her realm. Instead, her sister had picked something up. "And I just don't think that'll happen to me." Yang once again thought about reaching her arms out to hug Ruby, but then remembered they couldn't. _How far away did we park this thing? _She wondered.

"Aw Ruby," she said. "You'll find someone eventually." Ruby just let out an even larger sigh, and Yang realized that she had made this situation worse. "Ruby, not everyone meets who they want in their first year in school. It'll just take you a little bit longer." Ruby let out a happy sigh of relief. Then, she looked around.

"We passed Bumblebee, didn't we?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

**End: So we might finally get into school, and my apologies for the slower start. I promise, there will be action at some point soon.**


	6. The Day of Doom

A Harsh Reality Ch. 6: The Day of Doom

Two of the four members of team RWBY awoke to the sound of a very shrill, high pitched, whistle. Blake was watching the scene unfold as she was just perched on the window. Weiss and Yang both were forced to wake up to the harsh sound, and neither of them were very pleased with their adolescent leader.

"Ruby!" Weiss said harshly. "What did I tell you about that whistle?!"

"To use it in emergencies," Ruby said proudly. "And neither of you were waking up, so I used the whistle."

"Get me coffee," both girls said in unison. Blake was prepared, and handed both of them a fresh cup. Both girls sipped generously, but then Weiss noticed something that seemed off.

"This is one of our cups," she said, clearly confused. "How-?"

"Well," Ruby started. "Me and Blake woke up pretty early, so we decided to get a coffee maker since you two drink so much." Weiss nodded, incredibly grateful for her two teammates thoughts. "That being said," Ruby started again. "You should both probably get dressed. We have about 20 minutes before class." Weiss and Yang both choked slightly, and looked over at their teammate. "We've been trying to wake you up for quite some time."

"But don't worry," Blake added in. "We have a plan. I'll leave the room, and Weiss'll take the bathroom. Since you two," Blake pointed to the sisters as she said this, "already shared a room, changing in front of her shouldn't be a big deal." At that, Blake straightened out her uniform, and left the room. Weiss ran to the bathroom, and Yang looked over at her uniform.

"How long?" She asked.

"We'll need at least four minutes to get to class on time," Ruby added in. Yang sighed, and started to strip down as fast as possible.

_Grimm Studies II: Peter Port_

The four girls ran into the class, only just managing to get their seats in time. They gave brief nods JNPR's way, and then turned their attention to the front of class. Standing there, was the expected, boisterous, loud, booming, professor, Peter Port.

"Welcome to Grimm Studies II," Port boomed out. "I see that this is the crop that survived last year. I can promise you, I will do what I can to change that." Team RWBY groaned, and their heads were already starting to sink to their desks. That just meant more field expeditions where they would encounter only a few Grimm, and even more lectures. They were as likely to be killed by the lectures as they were to be killed by the Grimm. "Now, let's get this started out right. How many of you killed Grimm over the break?" Ruby and Yang both tentatively raised their hands, and some of the other students did the same. "Ah, good. Still less then I expected, but no matter. Let us begin with a tale, of my first summer after Beacon."

Blake stopped paying attention almost immediately. It was so easy to pass Grimm Studies, all you had to do was cover the reading material. She instead, focused her thoughts on Adam. He was there, and very much so a prevalent piece in her current life. Very few days had passed where he never once entered her mind. The two of them were paired together right off the bat, neither of them having a lot of combat experience at the time. They were together for every rally, every protest, and most importantly, every attack. When she cut the last train car, it had hurt both of them an incredible amount. It was never a matter of if in Blake's mind, only when.

Weiss' thoughts were also very preoccupied on things besides the lesson. For her, it was her quiet cat teammate. Something was clearly bothering Blake, and it clearly wasn't the incredibly bizarre question that Ruby had asked her. If she assumed that Yang was the one who had asked the question, then why wouldn't she make the connection that Weiss had? Blake had recently done several other things to peak Weiss' interest. Picking up the pace when they were walking back, sitting by the windows, always checking behind her. Whatever was wrong with her, Weiss was positive she would have to figure out for herself.

"Be sure to cover the assigned readings," Port finished. "Class is dismissed." Everyone on team RWBY was already out the door, with everyone making a beeline for the cafeteria.

_Nearby_

He carefully observed them leave the class. They seemed to be following the flow of the crowd, which only furthered a scowl that he wore beneath his mask. They were always with each other, traveling at least in pairs. More often then not, the four of them were surrounded by a crowd of other students. It would be too difficult to take them on from within the school, requiring an attempt at drawing the four of them out. A higher priority target, an obvious showing of force, and they would be well under way. He quickly turned around, and went to flee the school grounds. If he was found out, it would end poorly for him. For now, he would report his findings and hope that they could turn his report into action soon.

_Cafeteria_

Team RWBY sat down near their friends, the members of team JNPR. It was the first time that the eight of them had really gotten an opportunity to speak with each other, and they planned to take advantage of it.

"Hey guys," Ruby said. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, no kidding," Jaune replied. "I don't think I saw one of you over the whole summer."

"You didn't," Weiss replied, already almost finished with her salad. Weiss only grabbed a salad and small piece of chicken, reflecting her very petite eating habits that she so prominently displayed.

"Why is that?" Pyrrha asked, swallowing her food as she spoke. "I would of have thought that I would of have seen some of you. Ruby and Yang, you live nearby the school, right?" Ruby and Yang nodded. "So why didn't you meet up with Jaune? I'm sure I might of have been visiting."

"Don't know," Yang replied, taking another bite from her spicy burrito. "I didn't really know where he lived, but then again it would of have been easy to get Ruby to ask."

"And don't you live nearby Ren and Nora?" Pyrrha asked, directing her eyes to Weiss. Weiss nodded briefly, and then finished up the remainder of her salad. She quickly went to work on her chicken breast, and looked back up at the emerald eyed girl. "So why didn't you visit."

"I didn't want to," Weiss replied simply. "Plus I was busy. I didn't even visit with my own team."

"We went to you that one time," Ruby added in. "Remember?" Weiss nodded, and resumed eating. The three girls decided to surprise Weiss, and boy did they surprise her. Her father had almost thrown them out, and Weiss had to plead their case. She paid for it later on in the day, but it was worth it to see her team. Not that they would ever know that she had pleaded their case, nor that her father had beat her, and especially not how much she had enjoyed their visit. At least, not until she worked up the courage to talk to Ruby.

"It still would of have been great to see you," Nora said cheerfully. "We could of have hunter Grimm together, shared stories, played games, oh it would of have been so much fun." Most of them were slightly concerned by Nora's idea of something fun to do.

"Anyways," Pyrrha said, bringing it back around to visitation. "Do you live close to anyone Blake." She briefly peered over her book, and shook her head. "Where do you live? I mean, if you want to share."

"I don't," Blake replied, effectively ending that conversation. Since she had joined Beacon, Blake made it a point to never speak of her living arrangements. It mostly included anyone kind enough to shelter her, including Weiss for a day. Not like Weiss knew that was the reason for staying. She had spent the day helping her father rewrite the labor laws, and it was late when they had finished. _You don't have to go, _Weiss had said. _It's late, and it could be dangerous out right now. Stay here for the night, we have plenty of guest rooms and it's the least we can do. _Weiss had no thoughts as to how much of a favor she was doing Blake.

"Oh," Pyrrha replied, not entirely surprised by how quickly Blake had cut off the conversation. "Well, we should still get together."

"I agree," Jaune added in.

"You'd agree with anything Pyrrha says," Ren finally said. "And you're supposed to be our leader." Jaune opened up his mouth, but then closed it as he realized the truth behind this statement.

"We'll get together and do something fun," Yang promised. "Right guys?"

"Shouldn't that be my call?" Ruby said, widening her eyes at her big sister.

"Oh right, we'll do something fun with or without Ruby." Everyone let out a laugh, and resumed eating.

_Unknown Location_

He walked into the main conference room, and saw the five expecting faces.

"Well?" Roman asked immediately, lighting up a cigar as he spoke.

"There is one good course of action," Adam said. "They're always in pairs, and more often then not they're with a lot of other students. I suggest, that we launch some form of an attack. Something that'd be enough for Ozpin to send them out for, and have me waiting with a squad to deal with them." The White Fang leader nodded, agreeing completely with his agent's assessment of the situation. Torchwick also seemed fine with it. He was never someone that had any issues with having others do their dirty work as apposed to himself. The other three talked for a moment, and then turned back around.

"I agree," the woman in red said. "We'll pick out a place, and have the attack begin early on tomorrow. I suggest you prepare yourself Adam. You will be responsible for dealing with the kitty. We'll supply you with people to keep the others busy, but you might be responsible for them as well." She began to walk away, and her two compatriots trailed her. "Just so we are clear," she called back. "Failure, means death. Regardless of who is supplying the death."

"Doesn't matter to me," Adam replied, his grin only getting more wicked. "Blake and I will be the one's fighting for the day, and she won't be able to pull the trigger."

_Beacon Academy: RWBY's Dorm_

The four girls reentered their dorm, and wasted no time pulling out their books. They knew that the quicker they got their work done, the more time they would have to themselves. It wasn't as though they all had pressing issues to address. Weiss and Blake were the first to finish, and both of them were quick answer the cries for aid from their partners. Weiss very quickly pointed out the multitude of errors made by Ruby, and Blake was much more subtle about pointing out Yang's errors. Soon, all four of them had finished.

"Thanks Weiss," Ruby said, putting away her books. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Very little," Weiss replied coldly. "At least, in way of the classroom." Ruby pouted slightly, forcing Weiss to look away. She didn't think that then was the right time, it would have to be later.

"What about in other things?" Ruby suddenly asked. "I know I'm not the best student on the team, but what about in other things?"

"You're fine," Weiss replied, choosing to use the very familiar phrase that was so often exchanged when Weiss didn't want to pay a full compliment to her leader. Ruby had come to realize that that phrase, was the highest compliment that Weiss could give to her.

"Thanks Weiss," Ruby replied, reaching out her arms to grab a hold of her teammate. Weiss didn't quite move fast enough to avoid Ruby's arms, though it wasn't entirely unintentional. Ruby wrapped Weiss in a hug, and Weiss had to make a conscious effort to not hug her back.

"Get off," Weiss said, raising up her arms. "Get off of me, now!" Ruby finally let go of Weiss, and rolled back onto her bed. Weiss sighed, and climbed down to her bed.

Yang finally slammed her book shut, and suspiciously looked at her partner.

"And you're sure that everything is correct?" Yang asked.

"As far as you know," Blake replied cryptically. Yang sighed, and just knew that she would never win with her Faunus partner. Blake actually knew that Yang had gotten most of it right on her own, and that everything was correct after Blake's assistance. She immediately walked over to the window, and took a long look outside. She saw no signs of Adam, absolutely nothing that would indicate that he was there. In a normal circumstance, people would attribute it to not being able to see their pursuer, especially since the pursuer was very well trained. But this was Blake, and her pursuer was Adam. He wouldn't miss an opportunity to show himself, and Blake would catch on to anything that he was to do. No, he was getting ready. Something was going to happen, and her new friends might encounter her old ones.

**End: My apologies for the late upload today. Going to attempt to get another one out before tonight's out {since that chapter is the reason that I didn't finish this one sooner}. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	7. A Broken Promise, a New One Revealed

A Harsh Reality Ch. 7: A Broken Promise, a New One Revealed

**So there was a weird thing with my last chapter, where it didn't show that I had posted chapter six. I'm just going to post this one and hope that chapter six shows up. Also, crossed over 10 favorites and 25 follows {which happened really fast} so thank you to everyone who kept up with this story.**

Adam looked up and down at the White Fang people that were being sent to assist him. All of them were capable, but he could tell that they weren't the very best that White Fang had to offer. It didn't really matter to him. One way or another, it was going to come down to him and Blake, and Blake could never of have hoped to best him. Not now, not then. His semblance didn't allow for dust, and his skills didn't allow for straight combat. They would be enough to separate them from the others, and that was fine by him.

"All ready to go?" Torchwick asked, leaning against the airship they would be taking.

"Of course," Adam replied. "I'm still not sure as to why exactly you're not going."

"You were the one who wanted this to be personal. I'd only get in the way. Plus, I have other things to attend to." Adam nodded, and climbed into his airship. A large group followed him, while another equally large group piled into a separate airship. A smaller group went into a separate one, and they were the distraction.

Torchwick watched them take off. He leaned against the wall, and lit another cigar. He heard footsteps walking up behind him, and he didn't even have to turn to see who it was.

"Does he know?" A female voice asked.

"Of course not," Torchwick replied, ash spilling from the end of his cigar. "My involvement is strictly for research purposes. Whether or not he succeeds is for me to know soon, and for him to learn that I know later." He quickly walked over to another airship, and jumped in with a few other of his personal guards. All of them dressed in matching black suits, black hats, red ties, and sunglasses.

"Be sure to document everything," the woman called out. "I don't need you to screw this up, Roman."

"Don't worry about me Cinder," he replied, his cigar puffing out new smoke with every word. "I won't screw this up, so long as they don't screw it up." He closed the door, and faced the pilots. "Well? Get going!"

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The four girls woke up to the sound of an alarm, and they all groaned. Today consisted of New Faunus Rights and Faunus History, to which none of them were looking forward too. Especially Blake. She hated anything referring to the Faunus that she had to study. She could probably give most professors a crash course on Faunus rights, the history of Faunus rights, and pretty much everything Faunus related.

Blake quickly tied her bow on her ears, and looked over to see the rest of her team finishing up getting ready. Yang and Ruby had already funneled out of the bathroom, and Weiss was quickly approaching the bathroom. It left Blake with the last one in, which meant the most pressure of getting ready fast. She walked over to the window, and took another look outside. Still no other sign of Adam, leaving her worried that he might act soon. _At least it'll get me out of class, _she thought, still trying to salvage anything positive.

Weiss walked out of the bathroom, and gestured for Blake to get in.

"Let's go kitty cat," she said.

"Maybe if you didn't take so long," Blake said, walking into the bathroom. "It wouldn't be a big deal." Weiss took a step at Blake, and Ruby grabbed a hold of her arm.

"She's joking," Ruby said, partially to Weiss and partially to Blake. "Right guys?"

"Sure," both of them grumbled.

"Now we have to hurry." Blake entered the bathroom, and went about changing.

The other three girls were gathering their stuff, seeing that Blake had already done so. Then they were all greeted by a knock on the door. Ruby walked over, and opened it up.

"Hello team RWBY," Ozpin greeted. "I see that today is your second day of classes. Are you ready to go?" The three girls looked at him in confusion, not understanding why the headmaster would be present to greet him. Blake exited the restroom, and backed away from him.

"What are you doing here?" Blake asked, her suspicions clearly raised.

"Yes, I suppose that it is awfully strange that the headmaster would come to talk with a second year team about their classes. As you can imagine, I'm here about something else. May I come in?" Ruby backed away from the door, and let Ozpin take a seat on one of their beds. The other four girls stood around him, questioning looks in all of their eyes.

"At the beginning of the year," he began. "I mentioned that we would be asking for help from time to time from our teams when we see activity pop up. This, is one of those moments. A small group of White Fang has been sighted outside of a dust shipment, and we decided that it would be best for you to handle it."

"Is this a joke?" Blake asked. She was never convinced that Ozpin had no knowledge of her White Fang background. In fact, she was positive that he had let her in because of it.

"No, Ms. Belladonna, it isn't. You happened to be a team that we trust, and it's not something that a fourth year team would be required for."

"Fourth year?" Yang asked. "Aren't we a second year team?"

"Might as well be third," Ozpin added in, a small chuckle accompanying his words. "I suggest that you get moving. Depending on the length of time this takes, you will be excused from New Faunus Rights. The makeup work should be relatively simple." Team RWBY said nothing in reply, and just turned to leave the room.

After they exited, Glynda Goodwitch walked into the room.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked.

"Positive," he replied. "If I'm incorrect, we'll of have lost them anyway."

_Dust Shipment: 30 Minutes After_

Team RWBY silently stalked around the shipment. They could see a small team of White Fang working on getting it open, and Ruby quickly evaluated her options. She could go in, guns a blazing, which was the way she wanted to do it. But, she had the use of one trained assassin at her disposal.

"Okay," Ruby whispered. "Here's what I want to do."

"Going in full force is a bad idea," Weiss said with a dejected sigh.

"What? No! Blake, I want you to see how many of them you can take down without alerting the others." Blake nodded, and pulled out Gambol Shroud. "Weiss, I want you to get ready to block out some of them with glyphs." Weiss stood up, and went into position. "Yang, you and I will get ready to go in guns a blazing for when we get spotted."

"Why do you think we'll get spotted?" Yang asked, noticing her sisters choice of words.

"Because they're all gathered in a tight group, and Blake won't be able to get all of them." Yang nodded, appreciating her sisters natural eye for detail and ability to plan.

Blake near the White Fang, and waited for one of them to separate. Finally, one walked over to a different crate, and started to look over it. Blake silently walked behind it, and pulled him around the corner. She quickly brought her sword into his chest, and gently leaned his body against the crate. She raised up her katana, and waited for the White Fang that would check for him. He came soon after, and Blake quickly gave him identical treatment. She climbed on top of the crate, and looked over the other White Fang. None of them were separating, and she sighed deeply. She looked over, and saw Weiss waiting for Ruby to say something. _Here goes nothing, _she thought.

Blake jumped down into the middle of the White Fang, and opened up cuts in three of their chests in one swing.

"Dammit Blake," Weiss grumbled. She raised up a glyph, keeping the rest of the White Fang away from her. Ruby and Yang came running in, their weapons poised to fight. Ruby jumped over her partner, and brought around the blunt end of Crescent Rose on one of their skulls, sending it into pieces. Yang followed behind her sister, and quickly cracked one of their skulls with her fists. Weiss trailed behind them, and brought around Myrtenaster into the final White Fang's chest. They looked over to see three bodies by Blake, and Ruby just grinned at their luck.

"Well that was easy," she remarked. Blake nodded, but still looked around. Something about it didn't seem right to her.

_Nearby_

He looked at the dead bodies, and drew his sword. He nodded at his comrades, and waited for them to make their moves.

_Team RWBY_

The four girls were going over the scene, trying to find anything that would lead them to something else. They had split up into their pairs, as protocol dictated for that situation. Weiss and Ruby were to the northern side of the shipment, while Blake and Yang took the southern most side. The four had started to drift apart from their pairs, trying to get this over with as soon as possible.

Before they could regroup, or even fully document everything, the rest of the White Fang appeared. Ruby quickly pulled out her scythe, and took a look at the people surrounding her.

"Hello there little girl," one of them said, raising up his sword. "Are you lost." Ruby fired off a shot, a drilled a hole in his chest. The others charged her, and she readied her defense.

A very large crowd gathered around Blake, thoroughly separating her from her team. She raised up Gambol Shroud in a defensive pose, and waited for one of them to make a move.

"Hello Blake," someone said. She turned, and her worst fears were realized. Adam stood behind her, Wilt resting in his hand.

"Adam," she tried, backing away from him. "Don't do this."

"But why not?" He asked.

"Because we don't have to do this. You know that the White Fang just became a violent-."

"Stop!" Adam yelled out. "You know damn well why I have to do this." He ran forward, and swung around his sword at her head. Blake easily blocked, and pushed him away from her. Adam retaliated fast, and kicked up at Blake's head. She flipped back, and then lunged forward. She gave a half-hearted swing at his legs, and Adam parried it easily. He raised up Blush, and fired off a shot at her. She saw the shot coming, and she easily jumped out of the way. Blake raised up her sword, but kept it in a defensive stance.

"Still can't fight me," Adam said with a cruel sneer. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to end this fast." He ran forward, and swung around his sword in an overhead strike.

_Yang_

The brawler knocked down another White Fang, and then swung her elbow back to catch another in the throat. The White Fang surrounding her were starting to dwindle, while the piles of bodies by her feet was getting larger. Luckily for Yang, most of them only attacked one or two at a time. She was down to four of them left, and two of them bunched together. They ran forward, and Yang swung around Celica, and fired off two rounds to catch them in the chest. She turned to the final two, and ran forward. She jumped into the air, and the two White Fang swung up their swords to block any attack that she might have. Just before she reached them, she fired off two more rounds from Celica, and propelled herself to behind them. She swung around her fists into their backs, and shattered both of their spines.

She stared at the massive pile of bodies, and noticed a large group of White Fang gathered not too far from her. _Blake, _was the only thing running through her mind. She had to protect Blake. She ran at them, Ember Celica ready to fight, and barreled through the first few White Fang.

"BLAKE!" She yelled out. "I'M COMING!"

_Blake_

She deflected off another attack from Adam, and twisted around her blade. Adam was thrown forward, and he recovered quickly.

"BLAKE!" Someone yelled out. "I'M COMING!" _Oh no, _Blake thought. She turned her back towards where she heard the voice, hoping to keep Adam away.

"Sounds like one of your friends is coming to get you," Adam said, raising up Wilt again. "It's a shame that all they'll find is your body." Blake ran forward, and swung around her sword at Adam. He raised up his sword to deflect the attack, but Blake shadow'd up into the air. She landed behind him, and swung around her sword to knock his out of his hands. She raised up the blade to meet his throat, and just left it there. Her hand shook unnecessarily, showing how much she didn't want to do this.

"Do it," Adam said in a low voice. "Come on Blake, you have me beat." Blake lowered the blade of her sword, and kicked away his own.

"No," she said. "It will only prove what the White Fang made me, and I won't let that happen." Adam smiled his former partner's choice of words. He swung around his foot and caught her in the head. Blake fell to the ground, and took a moment to look up. She saw Yang cutting through the remaining White Fang surrounding them, with only a few remaining to get through. Adam looked over at his sword, but chose instead to bring up Blush, his shotgun. He carefully took aim, and let his finger rest on the trigger. Yang's aura was already running low enough for the bullet to at least go through her skin, and more then likely a second shot would kill her. All Adam had to do, was wait for her back to be turned. Just as she turned her back, he felt a strange coldness in his chest. He looked down, and saw Gambol Shroud going through his chest.

He slowly sunk to the ground, and felt the blade retract. _She could do it, _he thought. _I always knew she could. _Blake flipped him over, preventing his face from hitting the ground. She quickly placed her hand on his cheek, and felt his cold skin.

"I didn't want you to hurt her," she said, her voice starting to break. "I didn't want to kill you. I'm sorry Adam." She removed his mask, and looked over his eyes. They were leaving, very quickly. Blake wanted to help him, but the wound she had inflicted was made with intent to kill at the time. When Blake made an attack with the intent to kill, it would kill. His eyes began to close, and Blake felt the tears run down her cheeks. The salty substance splashing over the fresh wound. She leaned her head down, and let it rest on his chest, just above the injury. She didn't care to whether or not she would be covered in blood after this. She just felt sadness knowing that she had killed Adam.

_Yang_

She swung around her fist into the last White Fang, and watched him crumple to the ground. Yang quickly checked around, and noticed that no one else remained. She swung around her gaze, trying to identify her partner. She finally found her, with her head resting on one of their chests. She could tell by the movement of her shoulders and back, that she was crying. Yang ran over to her, and stood over Blake.

"Blake?" She asked tentatively. Blake looked up briefly at Yang, and let her head hover just above Adam. "What happened?"

"He was my partner," Blake said through the tears. "He promised that he would protect me, and now that promise is broken. What am I going to do now that I know the person I trusted the most, betrayed me." The tears formed a river down her cheek, and she just continued to sob heavily.

"Blake," Yang said softly, using the tone that she did when Ruby was upset. "He can't be that anymore." Yang slowly lifted her head up to face her, and took a deep breath in. _This will either calm her down, or make her hate everything more, _she thought. Yang leaned forward, and kissed her. She pulled out, and saw Blake's slightly shocked face. "But I can. Please Blake, let me protect you." Blake threw her arms around Yang, and cried into her shoulder. Yang gently used her aura to warm her up, the sadness making her colder. "Shhh, I'm here now," she sang. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

**End: Yay, Bumblebee. Questions, comments, cheers for joy for me finally getting them together, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	8. Where One Thrives, Another Struggles

A Harsh Reality Ch. 8: Where One Thrives, Another Struggles

**Already hit 30 followers and I hit 10 favorites {think that just happened}, Jesus. My personal fastest growing story {surpassing Child of Grimm}, but no surprising. Then again, who doesn't love Bumblebee? Also, ChaosPhoenix13 said that this story was made purely because I liked my back story on Tragedy of the Chessboard and wanted to make a story on it. I can honestly say that is 100% accurate.**

He stepped out of the airship, and looked over at the expecting faces.

"He was unsuccessful," he said immediately. "Adam perished, but that's not surprising. He failed to listen to what he told us."

"What?" The White Fang leader cried out. "He was one of my top agents!"

"He was a fool in this situation. But it did confirm one thing, they are vulnerable. He almost took down the kitty cat, and came very close with the golden girl. That inspires confidence for a situation that'll expose just them."

"Do not argue this," the woman in red said. "Roman is correct. Besides, Blake may of have had a weakness for him, but his hatred for her clouded his better judgement. We will discuss future plans later. For now, we need to focus on getting more supplies."

_Beacon Academy: Airships Bay_

The airship landed, and the door opened up. Yang had given her best explanation of what had happened between Blake and Adam, while she held Blake close. She was still a mess, unable to contribute anything to the conversation. Yang's aura was one that just radiated warmth, comfort, and the feeling of safety. Blake could understand why Ruby had always been so trusting of her older sister, now feeling that same trust. _He can't be that anymore, _Yang had said just as she before she had kissed Blake. It hadn't felt like a comfort kiss, or a pity kiss, it had felt as though it was a promising kiss. A promise that Yang would do everything she could to protect Blake. Though, Yang hadn't let the others know of her kiss.

The four girls finally exited the airship, and saw Professor Ozpin waiting on them.

"Hello RWBY," he greeted. "I understand from Ruby's report that it was more then a small group of White Fang."

"Bullshit," Blake mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Ozpin asked, his face showing confusion.

"You knew that there wouldn't just be a small group of White Fang, didn't you?"

"Are you suggesting that I was fraternizing with the enemy, Ms. Belladonna?" He asked, pointing out the obvious flaw with her accusation.

"No, I'm suggesting that your infinite intuition lead you to know that something bigger was going on with the White Fang." Blake stared daggers through her red eyes, and Yang just used a little bit more of her aura, attempting to get the emotional girl under control.

"You wouldn't be completely wrong to say that I wasn't suspicious there would be something more going on," Ozpin said. "I am aware of your background Ms. Belladonna, but you were the team that was selected as the best one for this mission. I did worry that it might be a setup, but that was a risk I had to take. Now, you are not only excused from classes for today but tomorrow as well, the standard time for a grieving teammate." Ozpin nodded to Blake, her expression still remaining as angry as before. He turned to leave, and then glanced back. "I do still expect a report by the end of the day."

The four girls watched him leave, and then began their walk back to the dorms. Yang was still trying to comfort Blake, her aura starting to run a bit low.

"I can't believe it," Weiss said, choosing to steer clear of their mission. "We are back at school for one day, and then we're out for two more. This is unbelievable."

"Chill out Weiss," Ruby said, trying to rub the heiress' arm. "One was for a mission, and now Blake is grieving. Don't worry, we didn't have much yesterday anyways." Weiss was going to make an argument, but she saw how much agony her teammate was in. She had tried to help, bring their minds away from their mission, but she had failed. It wouldn't surprise Weiss if Ruby had no thoughts about her beyond a partner. She realized that Yang still hadn't let go of Blake, and she just decided to keep quiet.

The four girls opened up their dorm room, and Yang slowly led Blake to her bed.

"There, there Blakey," she said in a soothing voice. "Just lie down." Blake obliged, and stared up at the ceiling. It pained Yang to see her partner feeling so low. There was nothing that she could do that she hadn't already done. _Then again, _Yang thought. She quietly joined her partner in the bed, and wrapped her in another hug. She flared some more of her aura, trying to get Blake to feel a little bit better.

Ruby and Weiss looked on as Yang kept her partner in a warm embrace. Ruby had been in situations where she was sad and Yang had decided to comfort her. She knew that Yang's aura was very soothing, and that she was doing everything she could to calm Blake down. That being said, Ruby couldn't help but feel helpless. Her teammate was lying on her bed, in clear agony over her loss, and Ruby could do nothing but idly spectate.

Blake continued to lay in Yang's embrace. She still felt sad over the loss of Adam, but she was finally coming around. Yang's arms felt like a cove of safety, a place she would never leave. Blake felt strangely okay with Yang kissing her, for even that felt comforting to her. Blake now found herself unable to deny everything that she had felt for Yang, and she was happy that Yang still held her. The fact that Yang hadn't yet given a single mention of her kiss led her to believe that all she was focused on was comforting Blake.

"Ruby, Weiss," Blake said softly. "Can you get me some tea?" Ruby and Weiss nodded, and turned to leave to get some. "Wait, do we not have any?"

"Nope," Weiss replied as she exited the room. "We'll be back soon, okay Blake?" Blake nodded, and watched the two girls leave. Blake slowly turned over, and faced Yang. Her face was within inches of Blake's, and she still held a look of concern.

"Blake," Yang said. "Do you want to sleep?" Blake shook her head, and then looked back at the door.

"Yang," Blake said softly. "I appreciate everything you've done. I just want you to know, I'm no longer as sad about Adam."

"That's good," Yang said, stroking Blake's hair lightly.

"And one more thing, thank your offer." Yang's expression changed for a moment, but then it returned to it's concerned state after she realized what Blake had meant.

"I shouldn't of have kissed you then," Yang whispered. "It was wrong, I took advantage of you, and-." Yang was cut off by Blake leaning into her, and planting a kiss on her lips. She pulled out, and looked Yang in the eyes.

"You did more for me then you know," Blake replied. Yang smiled, and flared just a little more of her aura. The warm feeling finally got Blake to a point of sleep, and Yang gently tucked her in. "You made me this tired," Blake accused, as her eyes struggled to stay open.

"You need rest," Yang replied calmly. "Night Blakey." With those words, Blake couldn't stay awake any longer.

_Ruby and Weiss_

Weiss quickly paid the merchant, and then turned around. She was eager to return to the dorm, not wanting to keep her teammate waiting for too much longer. An unfortunate reality of Weiss' life had been losing people that were close to her, and she could empathize with Blake's pain. The only difference, was that Adam had tried to kill her, and Yang. Either way, your view on someone you care for is never changed, Weiss was quite familiar with that in the relationship between her and her father.

"I'm glad we could get her tea," Ruby said, her voice lacking the usual cheerful quality that it normally possessed. "Yang seems to have the rest taken care of."

"Don't you find it strange how close Yang is getting with Blake?" Weiss asked, trying to show something to her leader. Ruby shook her head, knowing exactly what Weiss was talking about.

"I know what you mean, but Yang's always been that way. Me, her friends, everyone. She would do the same for you." Weiss realized how accurate that statement was, and her suspicions were slightly lowered. "Either way, I don't think Yang would try something like that at this point in time." Weiss nodded again, her suspicions even lower then before.

The two girls reached their dorm again, and silently opened up the door. They peeked inside, and saw Yang sitting nearby Blake's bed, with the Faunus asleep. Yang looked up at her teammates, and then back down at Blake.

"She's had a long day," she said quietly. Ruby and Weiss nodded, and placed the cup of tea on the counter.

"How is she?" Ruby asked, knowing what a loss can do to one's mental state.

"Better," Yang replied. "I think I finally used enough of my aura to calm her down, and enough to get her to sleep."

"That's good," Ruby said, keeping a close eye on her teammate. Blake stirred slightly, making the three girls freeze. She opened up her eyes, and noticed all of her teammates staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"I thought you'd sleep longer," Yang replied. "Correction, you should of have slept longer. I used enough aura to get you to that point."

"I've never been a good sleeper," Blake replied. She sat up, and walked over to the counter. She quickly picked up her cup of tea, and generously took a sip. "I think that I've let myself apply logic to this situation," Blake mumbled to herself. "Adam tried to kill me, tried to kill Yang. I did the right thing." Yang watched her teammate stand in the kitchen, speaking silently to herself.

"Hey Blake," Yang said, remembering something that made her sister feel better. "Do you mind if I take you out tonight?" Blake seemed surprise by the request. "You can pick the place. We can eat, or go to a park, or to a fair, or just do something to make you feel better." Blake looked over at Yang, and nodded slightly.

"Just a dinner," Blake replied. "Should be fine. Just a nice, quiet dinner between you and me." Blake was mumbling the final part, but Ruby and Weiss had heard what she had said. Yang was already looking for a place with an open reservation, not really paying much attention to her teammates. Ruby and Weiss seemed fine by the fact that Yang and Blake wanted to go out for a dinner, and even more fine with the fact that they wanted to go alone. It did trigger some form of suspicion, but neither of them gave it much thought.

"Alright Blakey," Yang said. "I got us a reservation over at a restaurant called the White Serpent in an hour."

"Early dinner," Blake said, a grin evident on her face.

"All they had." Yang went into the bathroom the get ready, leaving the other three to start on the work they had missed. It was difficult for Blake to stay on task, and it eventually forced her to ask Weiss for help. Blake hated the feeling of being unable to focus, but she hated the sadness even more. It was difficult to shake it, but Blake had to keep rationalizing it. It was the only way to keep her from going insane.

_An Hour Later_

Yang and Blake were both still dressed in their normal attire, not wanting to make a large deal about the event. They said their goodbyes, and exited the dorm. Ruby and Weiss looked over at each other, and then down at their feet. Neither of them really knew what to do, both of them having completed that days work a little earlier. Ruby climbed onto her bed, and began to sketch. Weiss decided to start studying, really unsure of what exactly what to do.

After a little bit of this, Ruby looked at the door. She had felt like an incapable teammate, and incapable leader, and worst of all, an incapable friend. She needed to do something to calm her mind.

"I'll be back," Ruby said, tossing down her sketchbook.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, trying to keep her attention on her work.

"On a walk," Ruby replied calmly. "I need to clear my head." Weiss nodded, and watched her partner leave. As soon as Ruby closed the door, she regretted allowing her to leave. Weiss was suddenly left alone again, unsure of what to do with herself. All she could do, was keep studying.

_Ruby_

She walked around on the Beacon campus. Ruby had considered visiting team JNPR, but they were all busy with class. She had considered circling back around to her dorm, but with the way Weiss was with Ruby, she didn't think it was a good idea. That left her with very few options. Distracted, Ruby pulled out one of the bottles of water she had grabbed. She briefly wondered why it had no label, but she was too distracted to give it much thought. She took one drink, then another. After the fifth or seventh swig, Ruby realized why it didn't have a label. Yang always took off the labels to bottles of water she claimed as "hers," and there was only ever one reason that Yang ever claimed a bottle of water.

It wasn't water.

She was too far in to reverse the effects of the clear liquid, but she could at least tell herself to get to the dorm before her terrible alcohol tolerance caught up to her. She started to move fast, putting the bottle away as quickly as possible. How had she not noticed this? She felt even worse then before, but the feeling of uselessness was being replaced by the distant feeling that alcohol supplied {**A/N**}. Ruby tried to move along quickly, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Soon, she found her normal mind replaced with the stupid mind that always came after a drink.

_Weiss_

She sat in her bed, her books sprawled out in front of her. Blake and Yang had been gone for a while, while Ruby had been out on her walk for a few minutes. Weiss was already feeling lonely. She had spent the entire summer feeling alone, and now it looked like she would have to endure the feeling just a little longer. She missed her leader terribly, wishing that she'd return soon. She heard some stumbling in the hall, and let out a sigh. Some other idiot had either gotten to alcohol, or gotten injured. Either way, there was still no Grimm fighting or sparing yet, so that would mean they had to do something really stupid. Weiss heard a loud bang outside of the door, followed by the door unlocking. _Oh no, _she thought.

The door slammed open, and Ruby stumbled inside. Weiss could already tell that she was drunk. How much Ruby had was beyond her, but it was clear that the girl had a little too much.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby greeted, her speech greatly slurred. "How are you tonight?"

"Ruby, what did you do?" Weiss asked.

"Well, I went on a walk and I took a bottle of water, and that was Yang's bottle of water." Weiss thought for a moment, and then remembered why the brawler claimed bottles of water. "I got about six good swigs in, and then realized it wasn't water."

"Ruby!" Weiss scolded. "Lay down!" Ruby stumbled forward, and tried to climb on top of her bed. She almost fell off, forcing Weiss to pull her down. "Okay, change of plans. You will sleep on my bed until you're sober. I'm going to get you some water, stay put." Ruby nodded sloppily, and Weiss quickly grabbed a bottle of actual water. Luckily for her, Yang had too much to drink on the weekends so they had plenty of straws. Weiss grabbed one, and placed it in the bottle. She returned to her partner, and held out the straw for her to drink out of.

"There you go," Weiss said. Ruby generously drank from the bottle, and Weiss thought over the situation. She knew that that day was going to be about Blake, and she also knew that Ruby wouldn't do this intentionally. Either way, Weiss was going to have to try and nurture the girl to health before Yang and Blake returned. _This is how my day is being spent, _Weiss thought. _I was feeling lonely and useless. _

"You know Weiss," Ruby said drunkenly. "I always thought you hated me, and I thought that coming here would be bad."

"I don't hate you," Weiss said, forcing Ruby to take another drink.

"Aw, thanks Weiss. I just feel awful as a teammate, you know? I feel like I let down Blake, I failed to lead you guys in the fight. I'm glad I have people like you." Weiss continued to sit next to her bed awkwardly. Everyone was a different kind of drunk. Ruby was one of the worst kinds, an honest drunk.

"You're not a failure of a leader," Weiss reassured her, jamming the straw back in Ruby's mouth. "You're a good leader."

"You really mean it?" Ruby asked, her words jumbled from the alcohol and straw. Weiss nodded, and Ruby quickly removed the straw from her mouth. She pulled Weiss in, and laid on a sloppy, drunk kiss. It took all of Weiss' will power to push Ruby off of her, and then looked over at her drunk teammate. That was supposed to be a moment that Weiss looked forward to, but she didn't want to take advantage of the drunk girl. It just wasn't in her nature.

"Ruby, go to sleep," Weiss commanded, trying to get her to stop tempting her. Ruby nodded, and then Weiss looked down at the water. "I will wake you up every so often to get you water, don't be alarmed." Ruby nodded again, and went to close her eyes.

"I love you Weiss," she grumbled. Weiss felt her heart swell, and then break immediately. Despite Ruby's truthful nature, it was more then likely the alcohol forcing Ruby to do this.

"Just sleep," Weiss said sadly. Ruby finally closed her eyes, and Weiss just felt sad.

**End: Nice and long chapter, and I will probably address the end of that day in the next chapter. Onto the A/N, I have never once tasted alcohol, nor have I ever seen someone drunk. My sister is 20, so I've seen people hung over. I'm literally guessing what alcohol makes someone feel like. I did not address the Bumblebee date, and I probably won't. Two things I pretty much can't do as a writer, and that's lemon/smut/yuri/whatever the fuck else it's called, and dates. It's my kyrptonite, so use your imagination for that date. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, feelz for Weiss, and feedback is appreciated.**


	9. A Date and a Caretaker

A Harsh Reality Ch. 9: A Date and a Caretaker

**Three comments I should address in the overall story. First off, my apologies to ChaosPhoenix11 not ChaosPhoenix13. Fucked that up, because I am not intelligent. Second comment to address is skaana. He/she said that I need to put a little more emphasis on Weiss' relationship with her father, and I 100% agree. I can sort of justify it as we already know how bitchy Weiss is, and she doesn't want to talk about it, but that's all just me bullshitting you. Lastly goes to guest account absinthe turtle {make an account so I can give you a shoutout properly}. He worded a review more beautifully then I've worded anything in my stories. "Decidedly the most organic outgrowth of the ships I've yet to see, I quite like where this is going." I suddenly feel inadequate as a writer. Now that I've typed out a paragraph of an authors note {which most of you will skip and not give a shit about}, for all ze shipping.**

Weiss gently shook her partner, and placed the straw in her mouth. As time had gone on, Ruby had slowly begun to become more and more sober. As far as Weiss knew, she had no knowledge of anything that she had said in her truthfully drunken state. Ruby only ever woke up for Weiss to give her water, and she was asleep almost immediately after. Weiss was actually enjoying herself a fair amount. Being the caretaker for someone you cared for was enjoyable, and Weiss had to figure that was why her mother had enjoyed Weiss' sick days so much. Weiss' thoughts were temporarily darkened as her mind wandered over to her family.

Her mother was a fairly caring person. She was always willing to listen, always willing to help, just a tender woman. Unfortunately for Weiss, she was never around. Her father ran the company, but her mother was often the one sent to negotiate deals. That left her alone with her father.

Originally, it wasn't a bad thing. Her father had done what he could to groom Weiss to take over the company. His strategy had changed one day, and her training became combat oriented. Weiss didn't know it at the time, but that was right around the time that the White Fang had started to attack them. He had trained her to use a sword, and had never been shy in devising devious tests for her to go through.

Her hand unconsciously went up to the scar that rested over her eye. One of the earlier tests that her father had decided would be good for her, the knight. The knight ran purely off of dust, making it easy for her father to create. Her mother was elsewhere, allowing her father time to do whatever he had wanted. Weiss defeated the knight, but at a price. All that meant was harsher punishment later on, more damage to her.

_What happened to you? _Her mother had asked, carefully going over Weiss' damaged body.

_Training, _Weiss had replied. Her mother spent the time arguing with her father, making things even more difficult. When Weiss' mother was there, her father could do nothing to hurt her. When she left, it was open season.

As time went on, her father had become more and more aggressive in training and punishment for not doing well. Weiss finally saw an opportunity to get away from him and do something right, and took it. She had secretly taken the entrance exam, and readily gotten in. Her father had punished her for it, but Weiss didn't care. She was going to be away from him soon.

She never realized what a bitch she was, until after meeting her team. She may of have suffered a lot of physical abuse, but she was still pampered beyond belief in a lot of ways. If you offered the average person her level of wealth and comfort for a beating every now and then, they would take it gladly. After meeting her team, she realized that the abuse had turned her into a cold and distrusting person. She had tried to change, but that was what people expected of an heiress. She had to keep up the image.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a laugh, and the opening of her door. Weiss looked over, and saw her other two teammates return to the dorm.

"Hey Weiss," Yang said, a smile plastering her face. "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright," Weiss replied, trying to conceal her joy. "I take it that the dinner went well?" Both Yang and Blake nodded.

"If I feel like this tomorrow, I will get us out of classes for a day," Blake said with a smile. Yang's eyes traveled to Weiss' bed, and noticed that it wasn't Weiss occupying the space.

"Why is Ruby in your bed?" Yang asked with concern.

"Oh," Weiss replied, only just then realizing that she was going to have to explain what had happened. "Um, Ruby went out on a walk." Yang's face filled with concern, and Weiss was quick to raise her hand. "Let me finish before you make any conclusions in your head." Yang nodded, and then waited for Weiss to continue. "Anyways, she took a bottle of water. She seemed kind of absentminded when she left..." Weiss left the end hanging, allowing the brawler and ninja to make the connection.

"Did she grab one of my bottles?" Yang asked, now understanding the situation.

"Yes," Weiss said, preparing to stir Ruby for another drink of water. "She said that she was so distracted, that she took seven drinks of it before she realized it's true contents. We all know that Ruby has a terrible alcohol tolerance, and so she came back here completely drunk. I just did what I've seen you do so many times, and I've been trying to nurse her away from a hangover ever since." Weiss nudged Ruby, and forced her to drink more water. Ruby fell asleep almost immediately after, not even acknowledging her sister and teammate. "She's been like this ever since," Weiss finished.

"Any weird Ruby truthfulness things?" Yang asked, remembering that her sister was an honest drunk. Weiss took a moment to recall everything that Ruby had said and did, and quickly filtered out the things that would reveal both her own and Ruby's feelings.

"The usual lack of self confidence things that Ruby has," Weiss said. "You know, inadequate leader, teammate, friend, etc. I reassured her to the best of my abilities, but I doubt she remembers anything." Yang and Blake both nodded, with Yang having seen her sister drunk before and Blake having to take her word for it. Ruby stirred again, and this time she woke up.

"Uhhh," Ruby groaned. "I feel like crap." She looked around from her seated position, and saw Weiss, Blake, and Yang staring at her. "What?"

"You got drunk baby sis," Yang said with a smile. "Weiss here has been feeding you water to try and get rid of it." Ruby let the memories flood back to her, and then looked back at Yang.

"Greeeat," she grumbled. "Blake is feeling down, and I get drunk on accident."

"I'm feeling better now," Blake said, leaning against a wall. Ruby tried to stand up, but her legs weren't cooperating.

"Woah there," Weiss said, gently pushing Ruby back down. "You're not moving away from this bed."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Ruby asked. Weiss looked up at Ruby's bed, and bit her lip. _For Ruby, _she thought.

"I guess up there."

"But you hate my bunk." _I know. _

"I'll be fine," Weiss said, trying to fool both herself and Ruby. "Oh, one more thing. How much do you remember?" Weiss was afraid that Ruby would remember her confession, and remembered how coldly Weiss had replied. Ruby thought for a long time, and made her decision.

"I remember realizing that I had taken the wrong water bottle," Ruby started. "Then I remember telling myself to get back to the dorm so I didn't screw anything up. After I told myself that, I only remember just now waking up." Weiss nodded, and started to climb up into Ruby's bed.

"You should get some more rest," Yang said, rubbing her sisters shoulder. "I think you have enough water in your system to get rid of the hangover for tomorrow. Just keep drinking in case." Ruby nodded, and took another drink of water. "And pay attention next time." Ruby nodded again, looking slightly annoyed at herself. "I'm getting some rest. If any of you need me, make sure it can't wait until the fucking morning." Everyone nodded, careful to not upset the brawler.

Ruby watched her sister climb into her bed, while Blake also took to her bed. She hadn't told the truth to Weiss, just like she hadn't told the truth to her sister the first time that she had gotten drunk. Ruby was a truthful drunk, but she was also a photographic drunk. She somehow was always able to recall what she had done and said during her point of drunkenness, which was something almost no one else could claim. She knew that she had kissed Weiss, and that she had then told Weiss that she had loved her. Now that Ruby was able to think clearly, she realized that Drunk Ruby {**A/N**} had told the truth that Sober Ruby hadn't actually known.

Ruby didn't know when, but she had absolutely fallen for Weiss. It was probably when Weiss had been truthful, and scolded her not being a good leader. They made up shortly after, even shared a common ground with their combat skirts. After that, it had been a slow process of pushing them together. Ruby had begun to love the process that was required for her and Weiss to get to be friendlier, and she had completely fallen for the girl.

Ruby looked over at the bottle of water that her sister had gotten her, and started to drink from it while she thought. Weiss had tried to get her to sleep immediately, leaving her to believe that Weiss was only annoyed by her advances. Ruby took another long drink, and felt a familiar fire. She looked over at the bottle again, and checked for the label. Ruby just shrugged, and kept drinking from the bottle. When the burning became too much, she took a sniff from it. Definitely was alcohol, and yet it still had the label. _God dammit Yang, _she thought.

Ruby quickly evaluated her options, before the flames of the alcohol reached her mind. She could try and get water and get back in time, but she didn't trust in her speed while drunk. She could try and wake up Yang or Blake, but they were across the room. That left her with one option. She gently poked the bottom of the bed above her, and began to silently call for Weiss' name.

Since the snowy haired girl wasn't asleep, she came to the calls of her leader immediately.

"What?" She asked. Ruby pointed over at the bottle of water, and Weiss noticed that it was half full. She frowned at Ruby, not understanding why she had asked for Weiss. Ruby's expression had changed since Weiss had come down, and she gestured for the heiress to pick up the bottle. Weiss took a smell of it, and smelled the wreak of alcohol. _Dammit Yang, _she thought.

"I'll get you a fresh bottle," Weiss said with a sigh. _No rest for the wicked. _She grabbed a bottle from the fridge, and picked out a fresh straw. She removed the label from the bottle that Ruby was drinking from, and started to have Ruby drink.

"I want you to try and keep quiet," Weiss ordered. "You get... Blunt when you drink."

"Oh, I know," Ruby said with a drunken chuckle. "I get honest, and I remember everything, and I must be even more annoying."

"Wait," Weiss said. "You remember everything?" Weiss heart filled with dread.

"Uhh-huh," Ruby replied in that happy way that only alcohol could ever supply. "And I know that I told you that I love you, and kissed you, and I know you hate me." Weiss thought for a moment. She was in an interestingly unique situation. She could let Ruby believe she hated her, or she could tell Ruby that the feelings were reciprocated. Ruby said that she remembered everything that was told to her while she was drunk, and that worried Weiss.

"Ruby," Weiss said in a soft voice. "I don't hate you, and I don't know if I love you." Ruby immediately grumbled. "But I do care about you." Weiss crawled into her bed with Ruby, and then wrapped her arms around Ruby. "And I know you'll remember this. Ruby, I've cared about you for a long time. I'm going to stay with you tonight, but don't get any drunk ideas." Ruby smiled in her drunken state, and wrapped her arms around Weiss. She planted a drunken kiss, which Weiss returned passionately. Weiss returned to caring for Ruby, while keeping her in her embrace. Eventually, Ruby had fallen asleep on Weiss' chest, and Weiss was too afraid to wake the girl up. She fell asleep soon after, and was greeted by pleasant dreams.

Blake awoke from the memories of her fight with Adam. She looked up, and knew that she would never catch anymore sleep. There was one scenario that she would, and Blake took in a deep breath. She gently poked at the bottom for Yang's bed, and woke the brawler up. She climbed down to Blake, and saw the expression on her face. Without a second thought, Yang crawled into Blake's bed, and let the Faunus rest her head on Yang's chest. Blake curled up against the warmth and comfort of the other girl, and fell asleep.

Yang looked over to Weiss' bed, and saw that the heiress and her sister were both asleep. Yang's expression hardened for a moment. She looked down at Blake, and sighed. She was not going to get up and avoid waking up her girlfriend, forcing her to watch idly. She would have a long discussion with the heiress in the morning about what she could expect from Yang while dating her baby sister. If she fucked up, Yang was going to be relentless towards the heiress. It was only made sweeter by the fact that Weiss wouldn't be able to escape the wrath of an angry, over protective, older sister.

**End: And got around to White Rose quickly. So, writing about being drunk is the worst since it's something that I've never come close to experiencing before. Adding it to the list of things I probably won't write about again with dates and lemons {not that I've ever written a lemon}. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, cheers for White Rose, and feedback is appreciated.**


	10. Drunken Confession, Honest Soul

A Harsh Reality Ch. 10: Drunken Confession, Honest Soul

**Aaaaaaand fucked up the A/N. I did leave one, but not for the reason that I wanted too. So I just picture Drunk Ruby in a similar style as Drunk Burnie from the Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures.**

Blake opened up her eyes, and gently lifted her head up. She saw that she had fallen asleep on Yang's chest, which would explain why she felt safe. Blake gently lifted the other girl's arms off of her, and stood up. Blake took a brief look out the window, and made sure that no one was there. After that, she looked around her dorm. She saw Yang still sleeping on her bed, and then she noticed a sight she deemed as strange.

Weiss was sleeping in her bed, with Ruby curled up in her arms. Blake took a moment to study over the scene, knowing that Weiss wouldn't of have let Ruby do that. It would be a question for later. A question that would come when Ruby woke up.

Ruby's eyes were the next to open up, albeit slower then Blake's. She tried to move, but felt something holding her there. She slowly leaned her head over, and felt her heart do a flip. Weiss was still asleep, her arms around the smaller girl. She had to pause for a moment, and try and remember everything. _Let's see, _Ruby thought. _I realized that Yang grabbed me one of her bottles, I woke Weiss up, and I... Dammit! Well what happened after that? Weiss... _Ruby could no longer think clearly, unsure of whether or not to believe what her memories were telling her. She was drunk at the time, but somehow her memory never failed her while drinking.

Ruby gently lifted Weiss' arms off of her, and stood up. She didn't feel hungover, which meant that Weiss had, once again, nursed her back to health.

"Morning Ruby," a voice said gently. Ruby didn't have to look in their direction to know exactly who had said that.

"Hey Blake," Ruby replied, turning around to see her teammate. "How are you?"

"Better," Blake replied simply, turning to sit down on the closest chair. "So, what's up with that?" Blake pointed over at Weiss' bed, which still held the sleeping heiress.

"Oh," Ruby said. "I, uh, don't really know." Blake could tell that was a lie, and just waited for Ruby to crack under her careful gaze. "Okay, fine. The bottle that Yang got me before she went to sleep, it was one of her bottles. She didn't remove the damn label though, so I got about half-way through it. I guess Weiss nurtured me back to health, and I don't know what else happened." Blake accepted the logic, knowing that Ruby was a truthful drunk. Ruby, of course, was only telling part of the truth.

She absolutely knew what had happened the night before. Weiss had accepted her, agreed with her, and now everything was perfect in her world. Well, almost perfect. There was still the part where Yang was going to speak with Weiss.

Ruby's fears didn't take long to realize. Both Weiss and Yang seemed to notice the absence of their partners, forcing them to wake up. They quickly looked around them, and identified their respective partners.

"Hey guys," Yang said sleepily. "How are you doing?"

"Good," they both replied in unison. Yang wasted no time picking out Weiss with her eyes, and Ruby felt her heart drop a little. Yang already knew. That was bad.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Yang asked the heiress. Weiss took a minute to think of this, and nodded. Yang immediately grabbed her arm, and pulled her outside. Ruby and Blake looked awkwardly at each other.

"Soooooo," Ruby said. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Probably the fact that Weiss was sleeping with you, or the girl that wishes to speak with her's younger sister," Blake replied bluntly. Ruby gulped, and looked back at the door. She may of have inadvertently gotten Weiss killed.

_Outside RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss was dragged out of the dorm, and immediately pushed against the wall. She looked over, and saw that a mix of anger, concern, and compassion was resting in Yang's eyes.

"Okay Yang," Weiss said, trying to ignore the anger that was so clearly visible in Yang's eyes. "What do you want?"

"I woke up last night," Yang said, keeping Weiss pinned to the wall. She knew that the heiress was capable of combat, but neither of them were dressed in their normal attire, and neither of them had their weapons. Both of them knew who would win in a physical confrontation in this situation. "And I looked over at your bed."

"I can explain," Weiss said immediately.

"Oh, you better be able too." Weiss took in a deep breath, wondering if there was anything that she should leave out.

"The bottle that you gave her, it was one of your own." Yang paused, and her grip faltered for a moment. Weiss tried to shrug her off, but Yang immediately regained her grip, and wound up slamming Weiss back into the wall. The door to team JNPR's dorm opened up, and Pyrrha peeked her head out.

"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked.

"Stay out of this," Yang snapped back.

"Ooooookkkkaaaay," Pyrrha said, closing the door slowly.

"Now," Weiss said, facing Yang again. "Ruby got halfway through it before she realized what had happened. So, she got truthful." Weiss now stopped, not really wanting to go further. She felt Yang's grip tightened, but Weiss knew that she could hold out for a long time. That being said, Yang's grip showed no signs of slowing down the tightening anytime soon. "She told me that she remembered everything from being drunk." Weiss finally gave in.

"So?" Yang asked.

"So, the prior time when she was drunk she kissed me and told me that she loved me." Yang's grip loosened, and she backed away slightly from Weiss. "I didn't want to return the gestures at the time, because I didn't think it would of have mattered. She was drunk after all." Yang continued to stare daggers at the heiress. "The second time, when she told me she would remember everything, I..." Weiss hesitated, not sure of whether or not to say it.

"Tell me," Yang replied, raising up her hand again.

"I told Ruby that I didn't know if I loved her, but I do care deeply for her." Yang's hand lowered, and she looked over the heiress carefully. "That was when I curled up with her, and continued to nurture her back to health." Yang paused for a moment, and made her decision.

"So you really care about her?" Yang asked. Weiss nodded. "I believe you. But just so you know, if you do anything to hurt my baby sister, there will be nothing to protect you." Weiss nodded, and just went to enter the dorm. She paused for a moment, and then looked back at the brawler.

"What about you and Blake?" She asked. Yang's expression softened for a moment.

"I will only say something if Blake wants too," Yang replied softly. "She may say she's fine, but I'm still concerned about her." Weiss nodded, and opened up the door.

The two girls entered into the dorm to see expecting faces on their respective partners. Both of them thought about playing it off, but their partners had other ideas.

"How'd it go?" Ruby asked.

"Well," Weiss replied simply.

"I imagined that much, you're still alive," Blake contributed. Weiss shot a glare at the Faunus.

"What'd you talk about?" Ruby asked.

"Probably the fact that you and Weiss slept together," Blake added in. Ruby shuffled around her feet, really unsure of what to say.

"That, and some things that Ruby said while she was drunk," Yang contributed.

"Oh," Ruby said, shuffling around her feet some more.

"Don't worry Ruby, I'll do everything I can to avoid Weiss breaking your heart," Yang added in, cracking her knuckles in the process. Ruby refused to look up at that point, she was just too embarrassed. "So Blake," Yang finally said, taking the conversation elsewhere for her sister's sake. "Do you want to grab some breakfast?"

"Sure," Blake replied. Her and Ruby were both already dressed, so it they would only be waiting on Yang. At that rate, it might be lunch by the time they left.

_An Hour Later_

Yang and Blake were both ready to go, leaving Weiss and Ruby to themselves. "Alright you two," Yang said. "I removed all the labels from the bottles, and then I double checked to make sure. Keep safe, and don't try anything. I swear Weiss, if I find out that you tried anything with my sister..." Yang left the end hanging, letting Weiss' imagination fill in the blanks. Blake grabbed her girlfriend's arm, and dragged her outside. "We'll be back soon," Yang called out as the door closed.

Ruby and Weiss were both left alone. Ruby had a plan, but she wanted to wait a minute before she did anything.

"I'm going to get some breakfast," Ruby said. "Want anything?" Weiss shook her head, and Ruby left to grab something. Weiss was, once again, left alone with her thoughts.

She was happy that she had done what she did. If not, it might of have never happened unless Ruby initiated. Now came the only part that worried Weiss, her father. She was going to have to talk with him about Ruby. She wasn't sure as to where his stance on homosexuality was, since only very closed minded people still held a questionable stance on it. One issue was always replaced with another, Faunus rights being the new big issue. But Weiss didn't put it past her father to hit her because she was a lesbian.

She walked into the bathroom, and stripped down. Her original intention was to change, but now she looked at herself in the mirror. Some bruises from when her father had hit her just before returning to Beacon, still lingered. Several scars were still plainly visible, making her worry. If Ruby was to ever see this, there was no telling how she'd react. Weiss bent over the sink, and splashed water over her face.

_You cannot use your aura to heal up these injuries! You will defeat the purpose of the punishment._

Her father never hit her after drinking, he wasn't on anything that would make him that way, it was just his definition of punishment. Oh how he had wanted a son. Someone to carry on the Schnee name. He warmed up to having a daughter, understanding that several young men would foolishly abandon their family name to take on her own. When Weiss realized that males held no form of sexual attraction to her, she became afraid. All of her fathers hopes of someone to carry on the family name, dashed in one moment. She would tell her mother at the first opportunity, and ask her for advice. Weiss knew that she was going to visit them over the winter break, and that was going to be her chance. Ruby never seemed to keen on bringing anyone to her and Yang's home. She was going to try and introduce Ruby to her family, in hopes that it would go over well.

"Weiss," someone said. Weiss identified it as Ruby. She froze over the sink, realizing that she was now soaking wet from the water dripping down her body. If she put on clothes now, they would get wet. Weiss grabbed a towel, and started to dry herself off. "Weiss?" Ruby called out, now confused as to where the heiress was. "Weiss, are you here?" Weiss didn't reply, just trying to get herself dried off quickly. The door was closed, that might mean that Ruby wouldn't come in.

_Ruby_

She looked around the dorm, still trying to see if Weiss was playing some kind of strange prank on her. Ruby noticed that her clothes were no longer on her bed, leading Ruby to believe that she had gotten ready and gone to get something. Ruby looked over at the bathroom, and started to walk towards it. The door was closed, but that's how it remained permanently. Whether or not someone was inside of it, the bathroom door was always closed. She gently turned the handle, and found it unlocked.

_Weiss_

She listened to Ruby walking around. She was almost done drying herself off. She just needed a little bit longer. She heard the door knob turn, and she froze. All she had to do was shriek for Ruby to not come in, but she was too petrified to open her mouth.

_Ruby_

She opened up the door, and went to step inside. She dead stopped for a moment at the sight in front of her. Weiss was standing in front of her, naked. Ruby and Weiss both looked each other in the eyes, and Ruby started to step outside. She was almost outside, when she realized something. Weiss' entire body was covered in scars, and even some faint bruises.

"Weiss?" She asked softly. Ruby continued to step inside, and Weiss kept her hand over her chest, and the other between her legs.

"Get out," Weiss said. Ruby realized that Weiss was less afraid of her exposure and more afraid of her scars.

"Weiss, what happened?"

"Training," Weiss replied, using the same excuse that her mother always heard. "Just like the one over my eye." Ruby noticed that most of the visible bruises were in the shape of a fist, or hand, and most of the scars appeared to be easily defensible strikes, regardless of how many people there were.

"These don't look like training scars," Ruby said. She reached out, and gently brushed her hand around the scars on Weiss' body. Weiss quickly swatted it away, but her eyes still looked afraid. "Those bruises look like fists." Weiss shuddered, as if remembering the memories of how she had gotten them. "Weiss, do you need to talk?"

"No," Weiss said coldly. "Not now." Ruby nodded, and stepped out of the bathroom. She could only hope that her partner would open up, and not conceal her feelings forever.

**End: Another date for Bumblebee, and another event I will not cover. For me not doing dates, it really does come down to experience. I have never been on a date, and my only knowledge is TV/Movie dates, none of which seem that genuine too me {unless I'm watching the wrong stuff}. Took a guess on alcohol based on what other authors have written, and some of the stuff I have seen {still escapes me as to why I thought it would be a good idea}. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, more feelz for Weiss, and feedback is appreciated.**


	11. When It Becomes Too Much Alone

A Harsh Reality Ch. 11: When It Becomes Too Much Alone

**God, I really hate chromebooks sometimes. Lost almost all of my progress on this chapter. At least I still had the title...**

Weiss stared at the wall. She was currently seated in her bed, unsure of really what to do. Since Ruby had seen her scars, it was difficult for her to say anything to the girl. She had pushed away from Ruby, and it killed Weiss to do that again. If only she hadn't pursued, if only she hadn't seen. Everything that Weiss worked so hard to keep concealed, was just revealed. If Ruby had just bought that it was a training incident, then everything would be fine.

Weiss was also pondering over another issue that was going to come up one way or another. Introducing Ruby to her parents. At that point, only people that were incredibly closed minded didn't approve of homosexuality, and Weiss' father wasn't that bad. There was something else troubling her. Her father had wanted a son so badly, and Weiss being a girl temporarily threw a wrench in his plans. He handled it well though, choosing to train her in a very similar manner to how he would train a son. Some of it became more formal as he recognized the fact that as a female, something a little different would be expected {one of the few things that both Weiss and her father agreed on was that this unwritten policy was ludicrous}. It especially never slowed down his definition of a punishment.

The way her father saw it, treating her different from a son would be foolish. If anything, she would carry on the family name a little better, what with her being the one to birth the child. Surely there would be many men that would gladly trade in their family name to become a member of the Schnee's. It was around age 13 when her mother began arranging for her to meet with some boys. It took only a few months for Weiss to realize the reason that the dates had no appeal to her. She simply had no interest in dating any males, and instead she felt a stronger attraction to any of the poor idiot's sisters. That of course, dashed her father's hopes for having a grandchild to carry on the family name. However, he still didn't know about it.

Another piece of crumpled up paper landed nearby Weiss' bed, and she decided to see what was frustrating her partner so much. She picked it up, unfolded it, and looked over the black and white outlines. Ruby had her scythe raised across her body, poised to fight, and rose petals were dancing around her frame. Weiss was just behind her, ice surrounding the heiress. The position of Weiss in comparison to Ruby made one thing clear to her. This was Ruby wanting to protect her teammate, friend, and most importantly to her, girlfriend.

"Ruby," Weiss finally said. The girl's head poked down from her bunk, and looked over her teammate curiously. "You asked about my scars." Ruby quickly swooped down, and lay next to Weiss. She quickly wrapped her arms around the girl, and looked over her partner carefully.

"Only if you want too," Ruby replied comfortingly. Weiss was impressed with the younger girl's maturity. It was a side of Ruby that was so rarely displayed, but was very much a real piece of who she was.

"When I was born," Weiss began. "My fate was almost pre-determined. I was groomed to take over the Schnee Dust Company, which was not a bad thing. It just meant a lot of classes. At a certain point, I don't remember exactly when, the White Fang began to attack us. It took a heavy toll on my father emotionally. My combat training became more rigorous, and my punishment..." Weiss left the end trailing, realizing that she had reached the path much sooner then she had intended.

"It only effected my combat training," Weiss continued. "I still excelled in my regular classes, vocal lessons, but combat took a toll on my body."

"Wait," Ruby said, something catching her natural curiosity. "Vocal lessons?" Weiss smiled, and then nodded slowly. If she were to go off on a tangent now, she would always find a reason to not get through the part that she needed too.

"Anyways," Weiss continued. "I was able to keep up with the lessons for a long time, until our first board member was executed. My father snapped, and threw a large test at me. A dust powered knight." Weiss' hand unconsciously traveled up her body, until it rested just above her eye. "The stakes were simple. Defeat it without taking a hit. I almost did just that. But I got cocky. I tried to defeat it without dust, and it landed one blow on me. Later on that night, my father let me know what he..." Weiss stopped, her throat closing up completely. She was infuriated that she couldn't keep going.

"It's okay Weiss," Ruby said, pulling in the girl closer. "We can stop, I didn't expect that as an answer." Weiss nodded, but knew that she had to power through.

"There's one more thing," Weiss said, tears pooling in her eyes. "My father isn't an evil man, just a damaged one. He... He might not approve of you." Ruby's gentle embrace loosened slightly, but she returned to it immediately. "When I go to see my parents, I need you to come with me. I'll have to introduce you as a teammate at first, but I only have one option." Ruby nodded, really unsure of what to do at that point. "I just needed to get through this." Weiss wiped away the tears, and felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her chest. "Thank you," Weiss said quietly.

"It's no problem," Ruby replied gently. "That's what girlfriends are for." Ruby found herself enjoying referring to herself as Weiss' girlfriend, and Weiss found equal enjoyment in being referred to in that light. It was something that both had wanted for a fair amount of time, something longer then a few days in the making. Neither of them wanted to be broken apart by anything at that point, no matter what kind of wrath it invoked from Yang.

_Unknown Location_

He dragged his cigar across the table, extinguishing the remaining flames that had lingered. He looked over the feed that Adam had planted before his departure, and watched as the two pairs traveled about. Blondie and the kitty were both together quite often, going about on dates and whatnot. There were several kisses being exchanged between them, allowing him to arrive to the conclusion that they were more then just partners.

The other two girls were under similar ways. Fancy and Red were both close in each other's embrace. They weren't locking lips as much as the others were, but they still appeared to be dating. It was important information for them to know for the future. It was most certainly information that his employers would be _very _interested to know.

_Beacon Academy: RWBY's Dorm: Night_

Blake and Yang had both arrived earlier in the afternoon, and both of them were changed into pajamas. The next day was going to be their second day back at classes, and first in three days. Luckily for the girls, it was sparing. They had already seen some form of combat, which gave them a tremendous advantage over some of the other people going in to the class.

Yang was sitting on her bed, just waiting on any cry for comfort from her girlfriend. She looked over at her sister and Weiss, and glared menacingly at Weiss. Yang and Ruby weren't biological sisters, but that didn't change her protectiveness over the girl. She and Ruby were related, with Qrow being her father and Summer being Ruby's mother, and they were siblings. When Summer passed away, Qrow had taken Ruby in. She and Yang already knew each other, but Yang felt a natural protectiveness over the sweet, innocent, little girl that had just lost her mother.

Now, there was someone that could also protect her sister. Though, from the way Ruby had her arms wrapped around Weiss, it seemed like Ruby was doing more protecting then Weiss. Either way, Yang was going to immediately become more suspicious of Weiss. It was the first time that Ruby ever had someone to date, girlfriend or boyfriend. If Yang didn't know who Weiss was, she would of have tried some form of intimidation tactic. Unfortunately, it was about a year past the point that something of that strategy would be effective. Regardless, Yang was going to have to keep a close watch over Weiss. If she tried anything harmful or sexual with her little sister, it was going to end poorly for the heiress.

Ruby gently played around with her fingers. Weiss had told her something very personal, but that wasn't what was quite on Ruby's mind. Meeting Weiss' parents. Such a simple part of dating, and yet a part that Ruby dreaded more then anything else. Ruby figured that Weiss would want to meet Qrow, since Weiss had never attended one of the schools. But meeting the parents of an heiress...

She was fine around Weiss initially, apart from her normal social issues, but that was because she didn't realize that the girl was an heiress. After that, Ruby was able to keep up a fairly normal socially awkward blanket around the heiress. But Weiss' parents... Ruby was going to have to impress a richer family, and enough so to the point where Weiss' father would leave Weiss alone.

Blake finally closed her book, and leaned back in her bed.

"Night," Blake said.

"Night," everyone else said in unison. Blake closed her eyes, and Weiss trailed shortly. Ruby finally joined in, leaving Yang alone with her thoughts.

She was waiting on her partner to give her any sort of sign that she was needed. Yang curling up with Blake wasn't just a comfort level for Blake, but a sense of relief for Yang. Yang's natural inclination towards people that she cared about was to protect them in every way possible. The knowledge that the person she cared for about the third most {behind Qrow and Ruby} was in any sort of mental distress was awful for her. Anything and everything that she could do to comfort her, was what she would do. Now that Yang was thinking about it, she really did have a "go fuck yourself," attitude towards Weiss. _The danger of dating my sister, _Yang thought. _I will probably like you the least out of everyone I care for. _

She heard Blake's soft cries for help shortly after, inclining the blonde to climb down. She quickly wrapped her arms around the Faunus, and allowed Blake to nuzzle her head on her chest. Yang gently stroked the girls hair, and smiled softly to herself.

"Yang," Blake said quietly.

"Yeah little kitty?" Yang said, her voice sounding reassuring.

"Why are you letting me put my head between your boobs?" Yang seemed to realize that Blake's head was directly in between both of her boobs, making them both silent.

"I trust you not to try anything," Yang finally said. "Not like some guys and girls."

"Why do I feel like they weren't the ones to initiate?" Blake said sleepily. When the girl began softly purring in sleep, Yang closed her eyes. Blake was almost dead on accurate with her statement.

**End: I stretched out this chapter as far as I could. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, Weiss' father's awful remarks, and feedback is appreciated.**


	12. A Fighting Chance

A Harsh Reality Ch. 12: A Fighting Chance

**I fucked up... I had to write the last chapter so many times, that I repeated information from the other one. My apologies to everyone, but I won't take the chapter down. Suffer through it, I hope that this one can make up for it. And a question that was asked, none of the images that Ruby has drawn on my story exists as far as I know. It's just me spending a long time thinking "what would look cool even though I can't draw?"**

Team RWBY woke to the harsh sound of an unwelcome alarm. All of them had slept very peacefully, especially Blake. Yang's warmth and comfort helped her sleep very well. Now that the idea was in her mind, she wouldn't mind faking any form of angst to keep it going longer. She was never in more understanding of why her younger leader was always a big proponent of sleeping with her sister. She looked over at the bathroom, and saw that Weiss had already made her move. _Next time heiress, _she thought. Blake just opened up her book, and then realized something.

"What's our class today?" She asked in an offhand manner.

"Sparring," Yang replied quickly. She checked around the mechanics of Ember Celica, making sure that everything worked the way it should. _It's perfect, _she thought. Ruby's affection for weapons rubbed off on the older girl, giving her a lot of pride in Ember Celica. She looked over at the bathroom, and realized how perfect that sparring on this day might be. She might get a chance for a show of force with the girl dating her sister. Yang cracked her knuckles in anticipation of what might be.

As soon as the door to the bathroom opened up, Blake entered inside. Yang and Ruby both growled angrily, and then grumbled to themselves. It was going to come down to a sister on sister showdown. One spot left in the bathroom. Ruby was faster then Yang, but Yang was more aggressive then Ruby. They both kept their eyes on the door, and their knees were bent to sprint.

"You two are ridiculous," Weiss said.

"I'm your girlfriend," Ruby argued. "You should be rooting for me!"

"I'll pass." The door to the bathroom opened up at the end of Weiss' sentence, and the two girls were off. Ruby's semblance gave her the boost she needed, and she managed to crash in just before her sister. Yang trailed in behind her, but it was pointless. Ruby had made it in first, therefor meaning that she got the chance to get ready third as apposed to fourth.

"Dammit," Yang grumbled.

"That's payback for giving me one of your bottles," Ruby argued.

"Which you took in the first place."

"Yang, I swear-."

"Can you two please just get ready?!" Weiss yelled out.

"Fine!" They both called out. Ruby kicked Yang out, and started to get ready.

_Forty Minutes Later_

It may of have been forty minutes, but Ruby was only responsible for losing five of those. Yang had only just gotten out, with her team in a panic mode.

"We need to get going," Weiss said, practically dragging the brawler out of the bathroom.

"Hang on," Yang said, determined to annoy her teammate as much as possible. She grabbed Ember Celica, and then faced her team. "Okay, now I'm ready to go." The other three sprinted out, and Yang just watched them go. Perhaps she had taken her attempt at annoying Weiss a little too far.

_Sparring Class: Glynda Goodwitch_

Team RWBY ran into the class, and took their seats next to JNPR. They briefly greeted them, and heard their teacher begin to welcome them back.

"Hello class," Professor Goodwitch greeted. "And welcome to another year of sparring. This class is one of the few that is mandatory for all students to take. Now, it has been a long summer and I'm relatively sure that most of you didn't get in any fights. So let us begin with a team that I know is not going to be as rusty. RWBY, I believe some inner team battles are in order." All of team RWBY looked over at each other, and went to take the stage. "I have the matchups picked already," Goodwitch continued. "Ms. Rose and Ms. Belladonna, will you both please take the floor?" Ruby looked over at Blake hesitantly. She didn't necessarily want to fight her teammate, but Blake should provide a fun fight.

If she had a different personality, or maybe if it was told to her, she would of have looked at her fight in a similar light as Yang. By now, it was pretty well understood that Yang and Blake were together. But Ruby wasn't as protective/territorial over Yang as Yang was of Ruby. Regardless, Ruby figured that the two alien fighting styles would create an interesting matchup. She activated Crescent Rose, and let it spring to life. Blake raised up Gambol Shroud in it's cleaver form, figuring that the extra width of the weapon would even out her chances.

"Begin!" Goodwitch yelled out. She backed away from the fight, and watched as the two girls circled each other. Blake was very patient. Her cat instincts gave her the patience for her pray to come at her first. Ruby knew that, especially after working with the girl for a year. She was determined not to break first.

Unfortunately, Ruby's patience only lasted so long. She fired off a round from Rose, and launched herself into the air. She fired off another round, and propelled herself directly at Blake. Blake shadow'd herself into the air just as Crescent Rose hit where she was, and swung around Shroud at the girl's back. Ruby fired off another round to get herself out of the way, and silently cursed herself for forgetting about Blake's semblance.

Blake decided to become the aggressor, and ran in at Ruby. She swung around her blade, but it was stopped quickly by the much longer blade of Crescent Rose. She fired off a round, twisting around Gambol Shroud awkwardly in Blake's hands. She was only just able to hold onto the weapon, but it came at a price. Blake knew that something was sprained in her wrist, forcing her to dedicate a small portion of aura to the injury. Ruby wasted no time noticing her slight hesitation, understanding that Blake's sword hand had been injured. Something that Ruby knew to take advantage of.

She swung around Crescent Rose in a series of overhead strikes, and Blake was successful in dodging most of them. The attacks that she did have to dedicate a block to took a toll on her wrist, forcing her aura down. Ruby may of have been impulsive, but she was very combat intelligent. She knew that she didn't have to seriously injure Blake, or score a decisive blow, all she had to do was get the girl's aura into the red. It would only a few more strikes to end a fight that had become one sided.

Blake knew that she was running out of options, and decided to play one of her tricks. She switched around Gambol Shroud to it's ribbon form, and threw it to hook the shaft of the massive scythe. She fired off several rounds, and Ruby was struggling to keep it in her hands. Ruby knew that if she were to fire off a round, the larger and more powerful caliber would throw Blake off her course. Ruby decided that was the best course of action, and tried to do just that. Blake lost her already injured grip on Gambol Shroud, and Ruby raised up Crescent Rose to her throat.

"That's the match," Goodwitch yelled out, ensuring that Ruby didn't get caught up in the moment. "A swing in the favor of you Ms. Rose. Ms. Belladonna, it appears that you suffered some form of injury." Blake just nodded in response, trying to heal up her wrist with her aura. "You will receive medical attention for that." A medic lead Blake off of the floor, and Ruby followed along in a concerned manner. She didn't think that Blake's wrist was hurt as badly as it looked at that moment. "On to the next fight," Goodwitch called out. "Ms. Schnee and Ms. Xiao Long, please take the floor." Weiss and Yang walked on, and Yang was grinning from ear to ear.

Now was going to be her chance. She could show Weiss what exactly to expect if she did anything to hurt her baby sister, which was something that Yang feared greatly. After all, Weiss and Ruby weren't exactly all warm and fuzzy to start off their relations. Which gave Yang, what she felt to be, probable cause to be concerned. She activated Ember Celica, and watched as Weiss drew Myrtenaster.

"Begin!" Goodwitch called out. Yang wasted no time in firing off two rounds behind her, and launching herself straight at Weiss. Weiss simply raised up a glyph, and the brawler was forced to fire off two more rounds to get away from it. She landed, and saw that Myrtenaster was already within inches of her. Yang fired off two more rounds, and deflected the blade with her elbow. It left a cut, but it didn't bother Yang. She quickly fired off two more rounds, and nailed Myrtenaster, sending it from Weiss' grasp.

Weiss backed away from Yang, and lifted up her hand. She left a glyph between them, and ran over to her sword. Yang fired off two rounds to send herself over it, and was coming close to Weiss. Weiss quickly raised a glyph between her and Yang, blocking any attempts from Yang at attacking her. She quickly picked up her sword, and lowered down the glyph. Yang had her in a bad place. She needed a way out. She quickly flipped around her dial, and readied her sword in a traditional stance.

Yang wasted no more time, and ran forward at the heiress. Weiss quickly swung around her sword to stop the girls fists, and a small trail of ice was visible behind the blade. It collided with Ember Celica, and froze Yang's hands in place. Yang quickly activated her semblance, and melted off the ice. She fired off two more rounds to launch her body into Weiss, and knocked her to the ground. Yang picked up Weiss, and brought them face to face.

"Okay, that's enough," Goodwitch yelled out, running to break the two girls apart. "Ms. Xiao Long, not a decisive win, but a win. You exerted a lot more aura then what might of have been necessary." Yang just kept a close eye on Weiss, her message having been sent. "With that, class is dismissed. Both of those fights took a long time, especially given the fact that we had to end a little earlier then normal." Most of the students had stopped paying attention, and everyone just left to get to the cafeteria.

Goodwitch watched all of them leave, and felt a presence come out from behind her.

"They fought well," a male voice said. "It's encouraging for the future."

"Only slightly," Goodwitch replied. "They still have a long way to go."

"Which is why we use them sparingly. Have some faith Glynda, I pushed her ahead two years for a reason. You must remember Summer."

"Of course I remember Summer. She was excellent, until she exerted herself too much."

"Which is why we're here to guide them, and not her."

_Beacon Cafeteria_

RWBY joined up with JNPR, and sat down at their normal table. Blake was constantly flexing around her wrist, making sure that every bit of it was healed from spraining it earlier. As soon as they sat down, Ruby laid on her apology.

"I'm really sorry Blake," she started immediately. "I didn't realize that your wrist was really that injured."

"Yes you did," Blake replied in a very nonchalant fashion. "We were in combat, you saw a weakness to expose, and you exposed it. I don't blame you." Ruby seemed relieved that her teammate had completely forgiven her.

"So those were fights," Jaune said immediately. "I mean, they were good fights."

"Yup," Yang replied cheerfully. "Score one for the sisters, zero for the partners."

"You won't let us live this down, will you?" Weiss asked.

"Not if you forget my promises," Yang shot back. Weiss raised up her hands defensively, unsure if she wanted to others to know what Yang was talking about.

"What'ya mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not my place to say," Yang added in. She would of have gladly spilled if her sister wasn't involved. Since she was, that meant that Yang had to keep quiet.

"Now I want to knoooow," Nora begged. Weiss looked over at Ruby, the words she would of have said evident in her eyes. _It's really up to you right now._

"Me and Weiss arrrrrrreee," Ruby tried. "I mean, we're..."

"I'll help out the dunce," Weiss finally said. "Together, dating, girlfriends." Jaune dead stopped eating, Pyrrha and Nora looked on in surprise, and Ren just seemed completely unbothered by this statement.

"So, you're boooth..." Jaune tried, unable to really make an intelligent statement off of the recent information.

"So you're both gay?" Nora tried, being incredibly blunt about the same statement that Jaune had tried to sneak around.

"No, Nora," Weiss said, her tone implying how annoyed she was. "I just decided to date another girl, and Ruby wanted to too!"

"You could of just been curious," Nora replied offhandedly. Weiss sighed at the girl, and just resumed eating. Then, she realized something.

"No comment Ren?" Weiss asked. "Nothing? No reaction at all?" Ren took another bite of his noodles, and then looked over at the heiress.

"I knew," he said simply. Weiss made a mental note to herself to never underestimate the knowledge of her quiet friend. "I also know that there is more." Yang and Blake looked over at him suspiciously, which invoked a slight mouth twitch from him. So he had guessed correctly.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not my place," Ren replied, taking another bite from his noodles. He went silent, and just waited for anyone else to say something. Yang was struggling not to crack under his silent stare. Blake saw this, and decided to bail her partner out.

"Yes, me and Yang are together as well," Blake explained. Jaune practically choked on his drink, and looked over at both of them.

"WHAT?!" He asked a little louder then he intended too. Team RWBY smiled at his outburst. "I mean," he started again, calming down slightly. "I thought that Yang said she'd been with guys before. So wouldn't this be-?" Jaune stopped, realizing that he might be treading down the wrong path.

"You are clueless, you know that?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded soberly. "You ever heard of someone being bi-sexual?" Jaune shook his head. "It means someone likes both genders. That would describe me and Blakey."

"Ohhhh," Jaune said, realizing how dumb he had been. "Well, I'm happy for you guys." Pyrrha grumbled, and tossed over some lien to Nora, who was just grinning ear to ear.

"Whtspwhr," Ruby said through a mouthful of food.

"Chew," Weiss ordered. Ruby chewed all of her food slowly. "Swallow." Ruby gave a large gulp. "Now you can talk."

"What's up with her?" Ruby tried again.

"Me and Nora had a bet," Pyrrha said sadly. "Whether or not Blake and Yang would get together."

"And I won!" Nora exclaimed. She took out half of the lien, and gave it to Ren.

"You-!" Pyrrha stuttered. "You son of a bitch!"

"WE won," Nora corrected.

"No wonder I lost," Pyrrha grumbled. "I should of known that Ren was helping her." Everyone laughed, and continued on with their food.

**End: Sorry for the late update. I was in a lot of pain/discomfort from my medical issues {I've mentioned them in Child of Grimm} today so it made focusing on this chapter more difficult. I fucked up with the A/N that I fucked up on a while ago, cause I had wanted to see if anyone could create {draw or animate} a Drunk Ruby in similar style to Drunk Burnie {cause the image is funny in my mind}. Also, I'm going to skip ahead to the winter break, unless there is a lot of people against it. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	13. The Winter Plannings

A Harsh Reality Ch. 13: The Winter Plannings

**So I skipped ahead to the winter, and started on this chapter before anyone could leave any opinions on whether or not they wanted me to skip ahead to winter. This chapter will probably be shorter then the other chapters, as it is mostly going to be setup {shorter means from the 1,500-2,000 words}.**

Blake sipped at her tea, and watched over her sleeping teammates. It was the day before all of the students were going to be given the option to leave for winter break, to which Blake just intended to stay. Since the day they had informed their teammates of the relationships, all of them had grown much closer. Weiss dared not do anything that might hurt Ruby, but her will still held strong. Ruby stayed close with her partner, always careful to ask for her advice when she felt as though she could be helpful. Their relationship did nothing but thrive, keeping in their normal roles. As for her and Yang, they also were getting along well. That was a little less of a shock since the two girls had been close since they were paired together in the Emerald Forest. Their dynamic had only improved, which managed to help Blake get rid of Adam from her mind. That being said, she still said that she needed Yang at night to fall asleep. A white lie that never had to surface.

Now, she was thinking over the option to leave the school. Blake had no intentions of leaving for winter break, especially since she had no where to stay. As far as she knew, everyone from her team was leaving to go elsewhere. She didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want to moving from home to home either. It was a situation in which Blake was very torn about what it was she would do.

Ruby started to stir shortly there after, and her eyes opened up. She looked below her just to make sure that the heiress was still asleep, and quietly jumped down from her bunk. Ruby briefly nodded to Blake, and then went over to the coffee maker. She fired it up, and prepped her sugar. Today she would discuss with Weiss what exactly they were going to do about visiting. Weiss wanted Ruby to stay with her for the winter {Weiss had informed her family that a teammate of hers wished to stay, and her mother had agreed that Ruby could stay} and Ruby wanted Weiss to stay with her for a little. Exactly how they were going to arrange that was yet to be determined, but it should be a relatively simple affair.

Weiss and Yang woke up a little after Ruby's coffee finished. Ruby had already prepped two more servings for the girls, and their coffee was almost done by the time they got up.

"Morning Blakey," Yang hummed.

"You seem awfully cheery," Blake replied calmly.

"How could you not? No classes today, tomorrow is winter break, everything is great." Blake winced slightly at the mention of winter break, which was something that Yang picked up on. "Are you not going anywhere?" Blake shook her head. "Why not?" Blake just stared at her partner, using her _drop it _eyes. "Okay, well why not come with me?" Blake paused at the offer. She could come and stay with Yang for the break. It didn't take long for Blake to reach a decision.

"Why not?" She said, shrugging. Yang's smile widened.

"Great!" She boomed. "Ruby and Weiss will only be with us for half the time, so it'll be great. Speaking of which, when are you two staying with us?" Weiss and Ruby looked at each other awkwardly. Neither of them had really done much in way of discussing their... Predicament in terms of living arrangements. "What?"

"Weiss, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ruby asked suddenly. Weiss readily agreed, and the two girls walked off. "So how do we do this?" Ruby whispered to the older girl.

"I think that it would be best if we started at your home and then went to mine," Weiss whispered back. "I can tell my parents that I got the dates wrong. My mom will agree, and she'll try and push it off on my dad." Ruby nodded, and then looked back at Yang.

"We'll leave with you," she yelled out.

"Sounds good to me," Yang called back. "Oh shit," she mumbled immediately after. "How are we going to setup?" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all looked at the blonde girl, not quite understanding what she meant. "I mean, we have two beds there. One of them is mine, the others is your's."

"Well you and Blake sleep together anyways," Weiss replied. "So just do that while we're there."

"What about you?" Blake asked the heiress, her eyebrows raised out of humor.

"Oh, I'lllllll," Weiss tried. She realized that she had two options. She could offer to take the couch {heiress' don't take the couch} or she could sleep with Ruby. Weiss would of have easily said yes to this, but Yang was going to be there. "I'll just sleep with Ruby too," Weiss finally said, much more confidently then she felt.

"Like hell you will!" Yang snapped immediately. She started to walk towards Weiss, forcing Ruby and Blake to grab her arms.

"Calm down Yang," Blake tried.

"No!" Yang snapped back.

"Yang, you'll be sleeping with Blake," Ruby tried immediately. "I'll be totally fine, right Weiss?" Weiss' hand rested over Myrtenaster, her face hardened if she needed to fight. Weiss nodded in response to her partner, and Yang kept up her snarl. "Yang," Ruby said. "You don't have to protect me from her. I'm totally fine." Yang finally softened her look, and Ruby and Blake let go of her. Yang walked straight up to Weiss, and wrapped her in a hug, something that Yang often did. Weiss found herself struggling to breathe, and it felt as though the brute was doing what she could to crush Weiss.

"If I hear you tried anything, it will be worse," Yang whispered into Weiss' ear, silently enough that not even Blake's razor sharp hearing could catch the words. "Understand?" Weiss managed to choke out a yes, and Yang set her down. "Now what do we do?" Yang asked. Weiss confidently walked over to her side of the room, and picked up her suitcase.

"Pack," Weiss replied. Everyone else groaned, but Weiss was fine with it. She was quite possibly the only person that enjoyed packing.

_The Next Morning: Beacon Airships_

Team RWBY walked down to their ships, and waited on it to arrive. The members of JNPR quickly joined them, and the eight of them began to talk.

"So what are your plans?" Yang asked Pyrrha. Out of everyone on team JNPR, Yang talked with Pyrrha the most. Yang easily talked the most out of everyone on team RWBY.

"I'm finally going to introduce Jaune to my family," Pyrrha replied. "And then he's going to introduce me to his. Right?"

"Yeah," Jaune grumbled. "I'm not that excited for you to meet my family."

"Which is something I'm eager to learn why," Pyrrha countered.

"Me and Ren are going home!" Nora said excitedly. "Back to our town!"

"What about you guys?" Pyrrha asked RWBY. "Where are you going?"

"Well," Yang began. "First, all of us are going to me and Ruby's home. Then, Ruby and Weiss are going to go to Weiss' home, which will give me and the kitty cat some time to ourselves."

"Yang," Blake scolded. "Stop calling me that."

"But why is that Blakey?" Yang asked slyly, wrapping her arm around the Faunus. "A little, _catty, _about your ears?" Blake glared daggers at her partner. If looks could kill, there would be nothing left of Yang. "Okay fine."

The airship finally landed in front of them, and the eight friends all boarded. All of them, were looking forward to the upcoming winter break.

**End: So the next chapter is going to be extremely long to make up for this setup chapter {please no bitching about the length, I hate it too but there's nothing I can do}. Any other questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	14. A Rose and a Bees Home

A Harsh Reality Ch. 14: A Rose and a Bees Home

**Chapter refers to White Rose and Bumblebee for those of you that don't get it. Happy New Years cause I fucked up the last two chapters. Forgot to ask if anyone would draw my images that I described because I can't draw. Also, someone else said that I'm above Rapey Lemons for favorite author {what are you people on?} Another question about possible new weapons designs and my thoughts of it. If you've ever seen me create a weapon, you'd know that I can't design weapons for shit so I'll leave that for Monty. Also, I don't think my awesome knight really fits the theme of this story so does anyone have an image or is willing to make a drawing for a cover? Finally, crossed over 40 followers and 20 favorites! Holy shit you people are incredible.**

The four girls stepped out of the airship, and jumped into their rental car. Yang was driving, Blake took the shotgun, and team Combat Skirt was in the back. Ruby was eagerly pointing out every landmark to her girlfriend. Weiss pretended not to care, but it was difficult because of how much Ruby was enjoying every place.

"And right there," Ruby called out. "Is the first spot that I met Yang at. You remember that?" Yang looked over to the bakery that Ruby had pointed at, and smiled.

"How could I forget?" Yang called back. "Qrow and Summer finally decided for us to meet. I broke that one guy's wrist that made fun of you." Yang and Ruby both laughed at the memory. "Good times."

"How old were you?" Blake asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Oh I was seven, but he was the same age," Yang replied. "I didn't like people messing with my baby sis, even then." She took great care to angle the rearview mirror so that she could stare at Weiss.

"You've made your point," Weiss replied, annoyance layering her voice.

"I won't ever make my point," Yang replied. "Even if you and Ruby get married and I die before you, I will put 'Don't try anything Weiss,' on my tombstone."

"Damnit Yang," Weiss grumbled.

"We're here!" Ruby called out suddenly. She practically ripped the door off of it's hinges, and bolted to the door. A man that was known by either Professor, or just Qrow, was waiting for the girl. Ruby jumped up into his arms, and held Ruby in a large hug.

"Hello again my niece," Qrow said, spinning around the girl as though she were five. "It is good to see you again."

"You too Uncle," Ruby replied. Qrow set her down, and was immediately wrapped up in a bear hug from his daughter.

"Hello Yang," he groaned. "You have only gotten stronger I see."

"Hey Dad," Yang said, finally releasing her father. "We got some people for you to meet." Qrow backed away, and watched as the heiress and Faunus emerged from the car. "Dad, this is Blake Belladonna," she started. "My girlfriend." Blake extended her hand, and gently shook Qrow's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Blake said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"As I have heard about you," Qrow replied calmly. "Though, this part about you dating my daughter is something new." He released his grip on her hand, and looked up and down her carefully. "Doesn't appear to be any sort of heartbreaker," he mumbled. "Attractive, yet seems intelligent. Tell me, what are you hiding behind that bow." Blake backed away, and defensively grabbed at her ears.

"Daaaad," Yang said winingly. "Please don't scare her off. She's also my partner."

"My, my, Yang," Qrow said teasingly. "Moving so fast already?" Yang gently slugged her father in the shoulder, and he let out a laugh. "My apologies Blake, I just have a good ability to read people. Besides, what could you be hiding that would be bad for me to know?" Blake gingerly removed her bow, deciding that her girlfriend's father had a right to know. She twitched around her cat ears, and let Qrow look over them.

"So my daughter picks a Faunus," he said softly. "For the first time."

"Dad!" Yang said sharply.

"Oh please Yang, I have so much more that I can use against you." Yang immediately went silent, and Qrow let out a hearty laugh. "I am very pleased to meet you Blake." Blake nodded, and walked off with Yang. "And now who else is present?" He asked, looking over at Weiss.

"Oh, right," Ruby said quickly. "Uncle, this is Weiss. Weiss, this is my Uncle Qrow." Weiss extended her hand, and shook Qrow's.

"Nice to meet you," Weiss said.

"Yes, it is nice to meet you as well Ms. Schnee," he replied. Weiss seemed incredibly surprised at his use of her last name, and she started to take a step back. "Yes, I know that you're Weiss Schnee. Not too many people look like you." Weiss nodded, but now Qrow's interests were caught. "Why would the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company be doing here?" He wondered. "I know that you're under my niece's team..." He looked over at Ruby, and raised up his eyebrows.

"Oh, um," Ruby said. "You know how Blake and Yang are dating?" Qrow nodded, his mind already reaching what his niece might say. "Well, me and Weiss are together."

"Weiss and I my niece," Qrow said dismissively. "And congratulations to you. Your first girlfriend. Now," he turned to face Weiss as he said this. "Tell me, do you understand how exactly I gained custody over my niece?" Weiss nodded slowly. "Excellent. Because be warned, myself and Yang have developed an incredibly soft spot for her. If you ever attempt anything that's even remotely close to hurting her, it will not end well for you." Weiss nodded quickly, worried that she now had Qrow and Yang on her.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way," he said, his voice picking up considerably. "Let's view out living arrangements." Qrow quickly walked inside the house, and the four girls trailed.

It wasn't a very large house. It consisted of two floors, with the top floor holding two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bottom floor held a kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The entire place was decorated in red and yellow, with a various amount of sketches lining the walls.

"This is a cute house," Blake remarked.

"Thank you," Qrow replied. "I do as my daughter and niece please. Isn't that right?" Ruby and Yang both nodded, earning a chuckle from Qrow. "As you can probably see, I only have two bedrooms available. Ruby, Yang, did you discuss this with them?" Ruby and Yang both nodded. "Excellent. I will let you four unpack, and then we're headed to one of my personal favorite spots." Qrow quickly stepped into the kitchen, leaving the other four to their own devices.

They quickly entered into the rooms, and it was easy for Blake and Weiss to figure out which side was which. On the right side of the room, there was a bed with yellow sheets, and _Achieve _poster, a computer, and several gossip magazines. On the left side, there was a bed with red sheets, posters of weapons, and magazines of weapons. Both sides had several drawings lining the walls nearby them. Most of them were of Grimm, Ruby and Yang, and Qrow, but there were a few that involved Weiss and Blake. You can guess which side is Ruby's and which is Yang's.

Weiss gravitated over to Ruby's bed, and unpacked some of the clothing that she had. She chose to leave most of it inside of the suitcase she had brought. After all, she wouldn't be staying here the full length of time. _Though I may be forced too, _she thought sadly. She didn't want to be separated from Ruby, but if things went poorly with her family they might be forced too. At least Qrow seemed friendly.

Blake went over the space dedicated to Yang, and quickly found a space where she could place her clothing. Yang's side of the room was almost identical to how it was back in the dorms, messy. Yang wasn't a huge fan of "cleaning," and she instead often decided to just place her clothes nearby. Blake could already identify several obstacles that would pose a problem for her in movement.

Soon, all four girls unpacked their minimal items that they had brought. They quickly climbed downstairs, and looked over in the kitchen. Qrow had a pair of car keys in his hands, and he was sitting patiently.

"All set?" He asked. The four girls nodded, and he swiftly walked outside. The four girls trailed behind him, and saw a black and green car waiting out front.

"How will we do this?" Weiss asked silently.

"It really is quite simple Weiss," Qrow replied. "Yang will take the front, and then you three will take the back." Weiss realized that there were five seats within in the car, and silently cursed herself for asking a dumb question. Qrow was already in the drivers seat, and everyone else piled in.

_Bird's Perch Bakery_

Qrow parked the car, and stepped out in front of the building. It looked vaguely familiar to Weiss and Blake, but Ruby and Yang were both grinning wildly.

"I can always trust you two to recognize these landmarks," Qrow said. "Care to explain?"

"Sure," Ruby said. "Remember when I pointed out where me and Yang first met?" Weiss and Blake both nodded. "This is it!" Ruby almost sprinted inside, but Yang already had a hand on her sisters hood.

"She always does this," Yang replied calmly. "Calm down Ruby, you've been here so many times."

"It doesn't matter to me," Ruby replied immediately. "I love this place. So many memories." Yang and Ruby both paused for a moment, but where snapped back to reality by a sharp cough from Qrow.

"I love the memories from this place as well," he began. "But I believe it would be best if we were to eat here." Ruby and Yang both blushed out of embarrassment, and then walked inside of the bakery.

The five of them took a seat at a table, and began to look through the menu. As the name of the restaurant suggested, baked goods dominated the menu options. Sandwiches seemed to be the primary thing being sold, and so all of the girls decided on a few. Ruby purchased the grilled cheese, Weiss got a roasted red pepper with portabello mushrooms and goat cheese, Blake ordered one with tuna, and Yang purchased the three pepper special. Qrow decided to not order anything, jokingly arguing that feeding two young couples bankrupted him enough. In truth, Qrow had eaten before hand. He had a certain image to uphold, and eating in public was simply not on that list.

"If you two do not mind me asking," Qrow suddenly said, looking over at Blake and Weiss. "When exactly did you get involved with my daughter and niece? I know that it was not last year, but yet this is the first I am hearing of your relationships."

"It's fine," Blake said. "Pretty early on in the year for both of us. I... I don't really want to go into anymore details." Qrow nodded, understanding that the Faunus probably needed more space.

"I understand," he said. He knew he had heard that name somewhere besides from Yang. It always paid to keep in touch with informative friends. Especially when that friend is the headmaster at your children's school.

_After Lunch: Nighttime_

Team RWBY were all sitting in their shared beds, their pajamas already on. Yang had her arm around Blake, and both of them were laughing about some lame joke that Yang had told. Blake's only enjoyment for them came mostly do to the fact that Yang was always so proud of her shitty jokes. Ruby and Weiss were talking, but sharing less jokes. Their discussion was about one thing, Weiss' family.

"There's still a lot to cover," Weiss said quietly to her leader. "When we get their, what are you going to do?"

"Introduce myself as your leader," Ruby said confidently.

"And when my father asks why you are there?"

"I say that I always wanted to see the home of the Schnee's because I am a big consumer of dust."

"And what is the cue for when you can bring up our relationship?" Ruby hesitated for a moment. This was the only part that she ever hesitated on.

"You just told me to follow your lead," Ruby replied a little shakily. "But I'm still not sure. What if he tries to hurt you?" Weiss smiled at Ruby's concern.

"Don't worry about that," she replied gently. "My mother is off for the entire winter so she can see me and meet you. He won't try anything." Ruby nodded, still a little unsure. No one was more unsure then Weiss. Who knows how her father would react to the news that she had no interest in boys, and that her girlfriend was her team leader. Only time would tell how they would react.

"Goodnight girls," Qrow yelled out from the other room.

"Night Uncle," Ruby called back.

"Night Dad," Yang replied.

"Goodnight Qrow," Blake and Weiss called out. Both of them looked over at each other, slightly surprised that they had come up with the same reply. Yang wasted no time turning off the light on her side, and dragging Blake down. She flared enough of her aura to get the Faunus to become drowsy, and soon Blake was purring softly, which was one of Yang's favorite parts about Blake's cat Faunus heritage. Ruby also turned out the lights, but rolled to her side. Weiss placed her arm over Ruby, and closed her eyes.

_One Week Later_

"Get up Ruby," Weiss whispered sharply, shaking her partner again. A driver was going to stop by the house to get Ruby and Weiss, but it was going to be early. Weiss was often one of the last ones awake in team RWBY, but she was always up at the sound of an alarm. Especially since this concerned her father. "Come on Ruby," Weiss tried again. "First impressions count."

"Five more minutes won't kill us," Ruby grumbled. Weiss sighed sharply, her leader starting to infuriate her even more. She raised up one of her hands, and flared her aura ever so slightly. She placed it on Ruby, and the younger girl's eyes shot open. "What did you do?!" Ruby asked, not understanding why she suddenly felt so awake. Weiss held up her hand, and let Ruby observe the white glow surrounding it.

"You weren't getting up," Weiss said dismissively. "So I cooled down my hand." Ruby grumbled, and sat up. She looked over at Yang, who's arm was still resting over the sleeping Faunus' body.

"Should we wake them up?" Ruby asked.

"Are you suicidal?" Weiss countered. Ruby paid her no mind, and started to shake her sister awake.

"Yang," Ruby said softly. "Yang, get up."

"No," Yang grumbled. Blake woke up immediately, and pushed Yang off of her.

"Come on Yang," Ruby tried again. "Me and Weiss are leaving, like soon." Yang finally pulled herself awake, and glared at the heiress.

"I hope this trip is worth it," Yang said grouchily.

"You and me both," Weiss whispered.

Yang, Blake, and Ruby got ready quickly. Qrow was already waiting for them outside their door. He swiftly lead them down stairs, and greeted the driver.

"Hello there," he greeted. "My name is Qrow, may I ask for yours?"

"Just the driver," the man replied. He appeared to be in his late 50's, making him the average age for most Schnee drivers. "It's of no importance to someone of your status Mr. Qrow."

"Names are of every importance," he replied calmly. He was fully aware that Ruby and Weiss were struggling to get everything into the back of the large car. One would assume it wouldn't be too difficult to get a few pieces of luggage into a car. Yang finally had to come over and begin to help them, and all he could do was shake his head. "Names and understanding ones limits," he corrected.

"My name is Geoffrey," he finally replied. "And like I said sir, unless I have to come here again for Mr. Schnee, I won't be seeing you again. I'm just the driver."

"Very well," Qrow replied. He saw that Weiss and Ruby had finally gotten their stuff in the back of the car, and were walking towards the back. Qrow walked over to Ruby, and wrapped her in a hug. "Goodbye for now my niece," he said smoothly. "I will see you sometimes in the future."

"Bye Uncle," Ruby replied. "I love you."

"I love you too Ruby." He let go of her, and just waved at Weiss. "Goodbye Weiss." He pulled her in close. "I wish you the best of luck with your parents."

"Thanks," Weiss replied. "I can see why Ruby talked so highly of you."

"As I can see why she spoke highly of you," Qrow finished. He stepped away, and Yang barreled over to her sister. She wrapped Ruby up in a big hug, and then set her down.

"Bye Ruby," Yang said. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too Yang," Ruby replied. Yang swung her gaze at Weiss, who just sighed.

"I won't," Weiss replied, not even waiting for Yang to say her threat. Yang smiled, pleased that her threat now stuck with Weiss. "We should get going. Can you drive a little faster Geoffrey?"

"Of course Ms. Schnee," Geoffrey replied.

"Oh thank you," Weiss replied. "Come on Ruby." She jumped into the car, and dragged her girlfriend in behind her. "Bye guys," Weiss yelled out.

"Bye," Ruby added in.

"Bye," the other three yelled out.

The car started up, and started to drive away.

"Any reason you stopped here first Ms. Schnee?" Geoffrey asked.

"Oh," Weiss said. "We had to stop by to wrap up some things first."

"I'm sure you did Ms. Schnee," Geoffrey replied. "I'm sure you did."

_Bumblebee_

Yang, Blake, and Qrow watched as Ruby and Weiss drove off. It always felt strange for Yang to be left without the necessity to protect Ruby. Even when it came time to leave for Beacon, Yang was concerned that she wouldn't be able to watch over Ruby. Now, her baby sister was going to her first girlfriend's home, without Yang's watchful eyes. She wanted to race after Ruby, make sure that the meeting went over well. Blake sensed this, and placed her arm around Yang.

"Come on," Blake said. "She'll be fine." Yang sighed, and turned to walk back inside.

"Ruby's always been a tough kid," Qrow brought up. "I'm sure she'll survive. Speaking of survive, I'm going to embark on an errand run. Any takers?" Yang and Blake both laughed, but shook their heads. "Figured as much. You two, behave. Don't burn down the house." Blake laughed, but Yang refrained from it. She had almost burned down the house once. "Yes, you get it," Qrow replied, eyeing his daughter suspiciously.

"It didn't even spread," Yang argued. "Besides, I got someone with _cat-_like reflexes to help me out."

"No," Blake said. "Just, leave that one alone." Yang pouted for a moment, but rebounded quickly.

"Regardless, don't use your semblance indoors near flammable objects," Qrow said. "I'll be back in a few hours. Goodbye girls." Blake and Yang waved goodbye, while Qrow jumped into his car. "Change of plans," he muttered. He quickly punched in a location on his GPS system, and started to drive.

Blake and Yang walked into the house, and walked over to the bedroom. Blake looked over at Ruby's now empty bed, and realized that it might be expected of her to move out. She didn't want too though. She sat down on Yang's bed, and grinned over at the brawler.

"So is this what your ideal scenario for most of your dates goes?" Blake asked. "You get your sister and dad out of the house, leaving you and your date alone?"

"You know me too well my kitten," Yang replied, jumping into the bed, next to Blake. "But not today. I care about you too much to just do something as low as that." Blake nodded, grateful that Yang had taken her hinting as nothing more then a joke. Truth was, Blake didn't enjoy the thought of being that intimate with someone. It involved giving up too much of yourself to someone else. If Blake had done so with Adam. She shuddered violently at the thought.

"Cold?" Yang asked her. Blake shook her head. "Adam?" Blake nodded, almost rocking back and forth from the memory. "Is there anything you want to get off your chest?" Yang tried. "I mean, if you need to."

"Okay," Blake said quietly. "Just, do me a favor." Yang nodded at Blake, willing to do anything. "Keep up your aura. I don't know if I can finish."

"Of course," Yang said. She started up a low field around Blake, and the Faunus felt incredibly comforted by the presence.

"When I first joined the White Fang," she started. "All we did was protest. I joined in with Adam, and we protested together. When they started using us for combat, me and Adam stuck together. We spent a lot of time together." Blake paused, unsure of where to go. "We became a couple at some point." Yang looked at her partner, and flared her aura a little more. "I deeply cared for him. Then, everything changed. The White Fang became what they are now. I spoke against it, but Adam told me to keep quiet. He wanted to be more aggressive. He wanted to kill people. On one mission, I separated the train carts with myself and the crew and him." Blake felt a tear run down her face, and she didn't understand. She hadn't gone into detail. "It's why I didn't trust you guys," she continued. "I was afraid of being hurt." Yang leaned into Blake, and laid a kiss on her. She pulled out, and stared the Faunus in the eyes.

"You don't have to be concerned about that," Yang said calmly. "I won't hurt you Blakey. I care too much about you." Blake wasn't sure what it was, but she was rushed by a sudden onslaught of attraction for Yang. She leaned into the brawler, and kissed her deeply. She let her hand slip down to Yang's chest, causing the girl to pull out of their kiss.

"I thought you said you wouldn't do that?" Yang asked, confused by her partner's change in minds. Blake just let a smile show to the blonde, and then she knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"I didn't think you'd protest," Blake said quietly. Yang realized that she was only protesting for her partner's sake, and not her own.

"I don't want to do this if you're afraid that you'll get hurt," Yang replied, trying to keep her partner away from her. Blake leaned her head next to Yang's ear.

"Screw getting hurt," she purred. "I just want to feel closer to you then I already do."

_Schnee Manor_

The car pulled out front, coming to a calming stop. Ruby and Weiss hadn't said much on their way to the manor. Weiss only did so because she recognized how afraid her partner was.

"Here we are Ms. Schnee and Ms. Rose," Geoffrey called back. Ruby took a deep breath in, and Weiss set her hand on her leg.

"You'll be fine," Weiss reassured her. "Just do what we planned.

"I'm sorry to rush you Ms. Schnee," Geoffrey started again. "But your father will be pretty mad if you don't get inside soon."

"Right," Weiss sighed. "Come on Ruby."

The two girls approached the building, and saw that there were two people waiting on them. The man wore a white business suit, and he had icy blue hair with white pupils. The girl wore a white dress, and looked like an older version of Weiss.

"Mom! Dad!" Weiss said excitedly. She ran over, and wrapped them up in a big hug. From what Ruby knew about them, Weiss seemed awfully happy that she was seeing her parents again.

"Hello Weiss," her mother said in a soothing voice. "It is good to see you again."

"I am with your mother on this," her father replied in a very pleasant voice. Everything that Ruby had expected, was shattered upon seeing them.

"Who's that?" Weiss' mother asked. Ruby suddenly turned paler then normal, and sweat was already pooling on her head.

"Oh," she started. "I-uh-I'm-you know..." Ruby tried initially.

"I don't believe we do," her father replied, laughter laying thick on his words. Ruby shot a 'help' look over to Weiss, who grumbled for a moment over her girlfriend's fear.

"This is Ruby Rose," Weiss finally said, choosing to bail her partner out. "My partner and team leader."

"Partner huh?" Her father remarked. "This is the person who you were paired with, and beat you out for leader." Ruby nodded, really unsure of what else to do. "Yes, I hope that you're good. I feel as though you must be, to beat out my daughter. Right Weiss?" He asked, now shooting a look to the heiress.

"She's good," Weiss promised. "I swear."

"If I wasn't team leader she would be," Ruby blurted, trying to help her partner.

"Is that so?" Her mother asked, clearly amused by the events that were unfolding in front of her. Ruby nodded violently. "I take it you weren't selected as leader for your social skills?" Ruby shook her head even more violently.

"She's better when she knows the person," Weiss tried. "Plus, you are kind of intimidating to her right now."

"Too bad," her father replied.

"Honey!" Her mother snapped. "This is Weiss' teammate, and clearly a good friend if she was willing to extend the invitation. Let us try to be more kind." Her father grumbled, but Weiss' mother was already approaching Ruby. "It's okay Ruby, we'll do what we can to make you more comfortable. Do you have a preference as to where to sleep?"

"Um," Ruby started. She wasn't expecting that to be a question.

"She can take the spare bed in my room," Weiss interrupted.

"Are you comfortable with this?" Her mother asked Ruby.

"...Yes?" Ruby tried.

"For God sakes, this isn't a test," Weiss' mother said.

"Yes," Ruby said more confidently.

"Okay, good," her father said. "You two should go get setup. Dinner will be ready soon." Ruby and Weiss nodded, and retreated to Weiss' bedroom.

The Schnee Manor was massive. It had two very large floors, all of them consisting of many rooms. If Ruby didn't have Weiss to guide her, she would of have been completely lost. They finally reached Weiss' room, and Ruby took a moment to take it all in. There were two beds. The smaller of which was still bigger then any bed Ruby was ever accustomed too. She knew that was probably her bed, but she just spent a long time looking around at the room. It was unbelievable to her.

"It's amazing," Ruby said softly.

"Oh calm down," Weiss said. "It's just a room." Ruby nodded, but went about unpacking. She spotted a red dress waiting on her bed, and looked at Weiss questioningly. "Oh right," Weiss said. "That's what you'll be wearing tonight. I had to call in advance for it."

"Do I have to wear this?" Ruby pouted.

"Listen," Weiss said, her voice only just above a whisper. "Do you want to make a good impression."

"I guess," Ruby sighed.

"Okay, good," Weiss replied. "You should probably change now. Dinner really will be ready soon."

_Dinner: An hour later_

Weiss lead Ruby downstairs, and pointed her in the right direction for the dining room. The maze of a house was posing a challenge for the younger girl, and she knew that she would never find her way back without Weiss.

They finally reached the dining room, and Ruby's eyes grew wide. The largest collection of food that the younger girl had ever seen, was laid out casually on the table.

"There they are," Weiss' mother said, noticing them coming out. "Come on, sit down." Weiss lead Ruby over to one side of the long table, and sat her down. Weiss took the seat next to her, and across from her father. Ruby was sitting across from Weiss' mother, which made her slightly happier. If she was across from Weiss' father, she would probably lose it. Weiss' mother seemed to be much nicer then her father.

Weiss started to form a plate for herself, and Ruby did the same. She grabbed everything that look appealing to her, and didn't realize how full her plate had gotten. She was about to grab something else, but Weiss slapped her arm.

"I know you can eat a lot, but I recommend you stop," Weiss told her. Ruby nodded, and set the plate down in front of her. She started to eat generously, but took great care to remember the manners that Weiss was always pounding into her and Yang.

"So Ruby," her mother finally said. "Tell us, how exactly does our daughter work within your team?" Ruby was caught off guard by the question, and was forced to swallow the mounds that rested in her mouth.

"Oh she's, umm," Ruby started, trying to get the words to form properly in her mind. "She's pretty much even with Blake for best student."

"The Faunus?" Her father asked. Ruby nodded frantically. "Doesn't surprise me. She was very well spoken when she assisted us."

"And she's really good in combat," Ruby finished.

"How do you use her?" Her father asked, his interest only growing.

"Oh, I guess where it looks like she could be the most useful," Ruby finished.

"And tell me, Weiss, is this true?" Her father asked carefully. Weiss nodded. "Excellent. Now, I wish to discuss something with you. Terribly sorry that you must be present during this Ruby. I have a small date arranged for you." Weiss' heart dropped. She hadn't expected anything this soon. "It's with a very pleasant young man. He's combat trained, strong willed, and he has a good personality." Weiss' father believing that he had a good personality wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

Ruby stayed quiet, waiting on Weiss to take the lead.

"Dad," Weiss began. "My friend is here. Do we really have to do it now?"

"Yes," he said. "We do. You've rejected everyone else that I've tried to get you with, and you have so far found no one at your school. Weiss, eventually you'll have to get married."

"I have found someone," Weiss said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What was that?" Her father asked, his interest now at a high point. Her mother was also very intrigued by this.

"Well," Weiss started. "They're sweet, innocent, a little frustrating but it's tolerable, and caring."

"Who is this person?" Her mother asked, unsure of exactly who Weiss could be describing.

"You've met them," Weiss said cryptically. Her father was still confused, but her mother's eyes widened in realization. "Actually, she's eating with us right now." Weiss looked over, and saw Ruby compressing herself as much as possible in her chair.

"Hi," she said weakly. Her father and mother both stopped eating, more then surprised at the turn of events.

"That's why none of your dates worked," Weiss continued, knowing full and well that she was going to have to finish now or never. "I'm a lesbian." Her father set down his silverware, and looked over at both of them.

"May I have a word with you upstairs?" He asked angrily. Weiss nodded, understanding what was coming. Both of them left for upstairs, leaving Ruby and Weiss' mother to themselves.

"The food's good," Ruby tried weakly. Weiss' mother laughed for a moment, but then focused her attention upstairs.

_Weiss_

She entered into her parents room, her father trailing just behind her.

"Why did you never tell me?" He asked angrily. "You must of have known before hand."

"I was afraid," Weiss replied. "Afraid that you'd hit me again."

"Weiss, that was not going to change. What was your plan? Go off, get married, have no one know about it?!" He was yelling the words he spoke.

"I don't know Dad!" Weiss yelled back. "I was just afraid that you'd let your company come before me!" She felt a strong hand come across her face, and she fell to the ground.

"Do not speak to me that way!" He yelled back. "Do you realize how hand in hand those two things are? You are the heiress, which means that one way or another you will be left with this company!"

"But you wanted a grandchild," Weiss cried back, tears pooling in her eyes. "You wanted a biological grandchild. I knew that you would be as angry as you are right now that I happen to be attracted to the sweetest person that I know, and oh right, she's a girl!"

"Weiss, I am nothing but supportive of you since-." Weiss pulled down the neckline of her dress, exposing several scars that riddled her body.

"Do you have any idea how many of these were from training?" Weiss cried out. "Almost none! You call that being supportive?!" Weiss' father went silent for a moment, and raised up his hand again. It stopped halfway up, and he surprised her by wrapping her in a large hug.

"I'm sorry," he said sadly. "I know it was wrong, but I had to prepare you." He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a various amounts of scars. "My father chose to pamper me, which only hurt me when the White Fang came after us. I thought that maybe I could make you tough enough to take it."

"You should of found another way," Weiss spat back. She turned to leave, but her father quickly grabbed her hand.

"Weiss," he said. "If this is because you think I disapprove of Ruby, I don't. She has given me no reason to, but nor has she given me a reason to approve of her. I suggest that you both use your time here wisely if you wish for my approval." Weiss nodded, and turned to leave again. She was still angry at her father, but less so now that everything was clearer.

Both of them walked downstairs, and Ruby let out a small gasp of surprise upon seeing Weiss. She calmly sat down next to Ruby, and resumed eating.

"What happened to your face?" Ruby asked, gingerly touching at it.

"Why?" Weiss asked. "Did it leave a mark?" Ruby nodded, using a little bit of aura to close up the cut. Ruby's eyes were questioning, and Weiss sighed. "Buckle up Ruby," she started. "You're going to have to impress my father."

**End: Told you it would be long. Very satisfied with this chapter, and very pleased that I can finally put this one to bed. So the cover is actually something that I'm very curious about, so if you have anything/if you can make a cover for this story, that would be appreciated. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, bumblebee and white rose celebrations, and feedback is appreciated.**


	15. A Busy Night: Bumblebee

A Harsh Reality Ch. 15: A Busy Night: Bumblebee

**Hey so I survived 6k words. Two things to address that came up in the comments. One {cause it's a guest account and I can't PM them} I did consider having it be a Ruby busts in and kicks the shit out of Weiss' dad scenario, but I didn't really feel like it fit Ruby's personality well enough. That was Red Trailer Ruby and not Volume 1 Ruby. Second, much more important, thing is a simple poll/question. I got a request to make it more "intimate," which means sexually intimate {I didn't get it cause I'm dumb}. So here is the simple question, yay or nay for lemon/yuri/smut/whatever-the-fuck-else-it's-called? If I get 10 yeses by the end of A Busy Day: White Rose {name of the next chapter}, then I'll make an attempt. Be warned, it'll probably be a really shitty lemon experience for y'all. So just say yay, if it's a nay you can say that too but it won't count towards the final tally {so not really a poll...} Also, no word on any sort of cover for the book. You people must like the knight a lot.**

Yang and Blake had both just changed back. The room had several items knocked over, to which both girls had decided to see to. Qrow still hadn't returned, which actually concerned Blake more so then Yang.

"Where could he be?" Blake asked. "We started up a while ago."

"Don't give yourself that much credit," Yang flirted back. Blake blushed for a moment, but then was back to business.

"Aren't you concerned?" She asked the care-free brawler.

"A little," Yang said casually. "But he's my dad. He does shit like this _all _the time." Blake seemed somewhat unconvinced of this, forcing Yang to flare some of her aura to calm her down. "Blake, he runs Signal Academy. That means that he runs off on impromptu meetings. So long as he comes home at the end of the night, we should be fine." Blake relaxed slightly, but was still not convinced. "We can only worry about what we can control," Yang argued. "Speaking of which, we should probably see to dinner." Blake sighed, and started to walk downstairs.

The two girls went into the kitchen, and started to look around their options. As Qrow had said, they needed groceries. Yang and Blake both weren't skilled enough cooks to craft anything from their given selections. Yang let out a puff, and walked over to the table.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked. Yang quickly picked up a bag, and pulled out a lien card.

"Taking care of food," Yang replied. She grabbed her scroll, and dialed in the incredibly familiar number. Blake just watched, waiting to see what her partner was doing. Soon, she heard a click on the other end.

"Hi," Yang said. "I'd like to get a large pizza with an order of large bread sticks. Half of the pizza should be jalapenos, olives, and onions." Yang looked over at Blake, and raised her eyebrow.

"Sardines and anchovies," Blake said, already figuring out what her partner was asking.

"Sardines and anchovies," Yang repeated. "Yeah, put down Yang. Yes, it's the same Yang. Send it on over." She set down the scroll, and walked over to the couch.

"Same Yang huh?" Blake asked her partner.

"I've been in this scenario before," Yang replied simply. "That's why I know where the card is." Blake nodded, and jumped next to her partner. "Just you and me kitty cat," Yang said immediately, placing her arm around her girlfriend. "And no round two, the pizza guy is coming." Blake smiled at the thought. No, she definitely didn't want a round two.

"So what do we do now?" Blake asked. Yang was never subtle about the amount of dates she had had. Blake figured that almost everything that had happened had to be in her playbook.

"Well," Yang said. "Get my uncle and sister out of the house, get you alone, have some fun, get food, and now we just watch movies, generally." Blake raised her eyebrow, not completely buying her story. Yang quickly grabbed the remote, and went to put something on.

The two girls finally settled on a movie, and heard the doorbell ring. Yang went to the front, and grabbed the pizza. She tossed over a tip, and closed the door immediately.

"Alright my kitten," Yang said. "Pizza's here." She tossed over the box, and Blake snatched it out of midair. Yang dragged over a table, and then rejoined her partner. Blake set down the pizza, and popped open the box. Both girls took a piece, and started to eat generously.

"You know," Yang began. "We could do the trick where we both eat a piece of pizza until our mouths touch."

"Isn't that pasta?" Blake replied.

"Close enough," Yang said. Blake laughed, but shook her head.

"I don't care for jalapenos and I'm pretty sure you don't like fish," Blake argued. Yang shrugged, but still kept the thought in her back pocket.

Needless to say, the blonde brawler was head over heals for the Faunus ninja. It was rare that Yang ever took someone out on a second date, much less go out with the same person for a few months. Then Blake came along. She and Yang were paired together, and everything changed. The brawler spent an entire year wanting to ask Blake on a date, but afraid of rejection. Yang Xiao Long was not supposed to be afraid of rejection, yet there she was.

In a year, Blake had done nothing but subtly change how the brawler was. Yang became more aware of others, in both feelings and in combat. Blake had taught her the value of observation, but since Yang didn't have the patience for it, she let her partner observe. Then, there was in her emotions. Blake was always calm, cool, collected, mysterious. Yang was always wild, firey, all over the place, and rather blunt. The perfect value of Yin and Yang, no pun intended. All it did was make Yang more attracted to her feline friend.

Then there were the past few months. Blake hadn't blatantly rejected Yang when she had tried to comfort her, which made her happy. Seeing Blake so down had done nothing but pain the caring girl. She wanted to do everything to protect those she cared for the most, but internal damage was so difficult to repair. It was the same feeling that she had when Ruby first came to live with them, her heart freshly broken from the loss of Summer. Yang had done everything she could to repair the girl she had considered her sister, but wounds like that take time to heal. With Blake, it had taken less time. She had already lost Adam.

Blake was thinking of her partner too. After killing Adam, Blake didn't really know where to go. Her emotions had just been toyed with, manipulated, and betrayed. She didn't think there was anyone that she could of have believed. Her life had consisted of nothing but false promises, but then she heard the one that sounded true.

_But I can be, _Yang had said. Outside of that situation, those words might of have been seen as meaningless. But Yang had been holding her, kissed her, and using her own reserves to comfort her. Not protect her, comfort her. That had done nothing but make Blake's heart swell. She hadn't been intimate with Yang for the sake of pleasure, it had stemmed from trust. Blake's trust was very hard to earn. The fact that Yang had done so spoke volumes to the brawler's ability to deal with people.

"That's that," Yang said, polishing off another piece of pizza. Blake realized that she had been so deep in thought, that she hadn't seen the end of the movie. _Another time, _she thought. _Another time. _"What do you want to do now?" Blake's mouth twitched into a smile, an evil thought materializing itself in her mind. Yang noticed the smile, and became afraid. Despite how quiet Blake normally was, her mind was unusually quick to form malicious thoughts. Before either could learn what it was, the door opened up.

"Hello girls," Qrow called out. "I apologize for being so late, I was called into a meeting." He set down some grocery bags, and looked over to the girls. He saw the half eaten pizza, and raised an eyebrow at Yang.

"You know I saved you a couple of slices," Yang said. She tossed over a piece, which Qrow easily plucked out of midair. He quickly took a bite, and went about putting away the groceries.

"So what did you two love cats do while I was away?" He asked with a grin.

"What does it look like?" Yang replied, putting on another movie. "I have my arm around Blake, there's a pizza down here, and a movie on."

"So your normal pattern?" Qrow asked, knowing full and well that this night had been filled with many things besides just pizza, movies, and cuddling.

"Absolutely," Yang replied with a grin. She may of have been a party girl, but she was no fool. She had no misconceptions about whether or not her father knew about her... Nights.

"How long have you lasted?" Qrow asked. He could be mysterious, secretive, crafty. But when it came to his daughter, he never spent any time beating around the bush.

"Um," Blake said, unsure of where to take that question. "What do you mean?"

"How long have you been with my daughter," Qrow tried. "And I don't just mean dating, please include being partners."

"One year and four months," Blake said. "Why?"

"Oh, you've lasted so long," Qrow replied, getting in a solid jab at his daughter. "That means she really likes you." Yang blushed slightly, causing Qrow to raise an eyebrow. He never got such prominent reactions from his daughter. "My, my, my daughter, you are really _in heat _over this girl." Yang threw a pillow at her father, but he easily snagged that as well.

"Shut up," Yang called out.

"Should I let you two work it out?" Blake asked, her ears twitching in amusement. There was another thing. Since arriving at Qrow's, Blake had yet to put her bow on.

"I think that wouldn't be wise," Qrow replied, placing away some more items. "At least I have food, so none of Yang's old flings will come by the door."

"Okay Dad," Yang sighed. "You've made your point. I've had a lot of short term relationships."

"Oh, my point will never be made. You and Blake could get married, and I'd still be making these remarks." Yang casually cracked her knuckles, and rolled around her neck. "I assisted in bringing you into this world my daughter, I can very easily assist in bringing you out of it."

"Only assist huh?" Yang asked. "Not even going to give yourself the full line?"

"It was a woman who had said that, it wouldn't of have been accurate." Blake watched in awe as the two of them traded banter back and forth. She now knew where Yang had gotten her quick wit.

"So what now Blakey?" Yang asked. "Want me to get you some warm milk?" Blake hissed at her girlfriend. She wouldn't of have minded the joke if it wasn't true. Blake had a soft spot for warm milk. "Dad, grab the cat some milk."

"Blake?" Qrow asked. "Ruling on the field?"

"Fine," Blake sighed. "Get the milk." Qrow brought over a glass, and handed it to Yang. She quickly heated it up, and gave it Blake. She lapped it up generously, unable to control herself over the substance. As soon as she finished, she realized something else was going on. Yang's arm was still around her, and her aura was still clearly being flared.

"You tired Blakey?" Yang asked sweetly.

"I hate you," Blake grumbled.

"Nah, you love me." Yang lead Blake upstairs to tuck her in. It had been a busy night for the cat after all.

**End: So big thing here is lemon yays. Leave a review or PM for yay, and if I hit 10 yays I'll go ahead and take a shot AFTER A Busy Day: White Rose. I just want to get this going cause it might slightly effect where I have to drive some things. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, yays, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	16. A Busy Night: White Rose

A Harsh Reality Ch. 16: A Busy Night: White Rose

**Current tally: 7 yays. If I get three more {from three other accounts} before I write my next chapter, then I will make my attempt at writing a lemon. Also learned that I should of picked a different word other then yay cause my brain isn't smart enough to figure out the fact that yay means a yes vote. Either way, still sticking with yays and nays. Quick setting part of the A/N, this pretty much takes place right after Weiss returns to Ruby at the dinner.**

Ruby and Weiss continued to eat, but now Ruby was extremely self-conscious. She could feel the heat off of the stares from Mr. and Mrs. Schnee, seemingly analyzing her every move. Ruby took great care to eat politely, wipe her mouth, take careful sips. Weiss noticed the pained effort, and she shot a look over at her parents. They either didn't notice, or didn't care. Weiss finally finished up, with Ruby coming in just behind her. A word wasn't exchanged since Weiss had come back.

"Come on Ruby," Weiss finally said. She grabbed her partner's arm, and started to lead her upstairs.

"Wait!" Her father called out. He stood up, and wiped his hands. "I don't know how comfortable I feel with both you and Ruby sharing a room now that I know of your... Personal arrangements."

"Dad," Weiss said slowly. "We live together in general. We're not going to do anything." Weiss' father was about to continue, but he felt a strong grip on his hand.

"Honey," Weiss' mother began. "I don't see this as an issue. If it becomes an issue, well..." Weiss' mother let her eyes trail to Ruby, and then trail over to the basement. "We're strong enough to arrange something." Weiss' mother said this with a smile, but Ruby's face was completely devoid of color. "Oh relax, I'm kidding." Ruby nodded, but was still semi-unconvinced.

Weiss dragged her partner upstairs, and lead her to her room. They quickly entered in, and sat down on their beds.

"Well," Ruby started. "That was a thing."

"He's only like that because he doesn't know you," Weiss tried. "Don't worry." Ruby smiled weakly, but then looked down at her dress. She was still wearing the long, strapless red dress that Weiss' family had given her. She looked over at the bathroom, and started to walk over. "Wait," Weiss said. "Let's not do that yet. I think that the dress looks kind of good on you."

"Really?" Ruby asked, suddenly becoming eager. Weiss nodded, and sat down on her bed. She gently patted the spot next to her. This was her house, and now she was in full control and full self confidence.

Ruby walked over, and took a seat next to her girlfriend.

"So uh," Ruby began. "What do we uh..." Ruby trailed off. After the mental beat down that Weiss' family had given her, she wasn't entirely positive as to what to do. Her already lowered self confidence had taken another hit. Sure, Weiss' mother seemed okay with her. But then there was her father. He seemed to want to believe that Ruby wasn't good enough for his daughter. After what Ruby had heard about him, and the fresh bruise on Weiss' face, she didn't think very highly of him. But Weiss did. She still seemed to posses great quantities of love for her father, despite everything. She was trying this hard to get his approval.

"Ruby," Weiss said, noticing the concern in her eyes. "I dropped a bombshell on my parents. They're taking time to warm up to you, and they're taking time to warm up to me. Don't worry, they'll care about you as much as I do soon enough." Ruby nodded, and went to kiss her girlfriend. Before she could, Weiss winced slightly. Ruby looked over, and saw her hand hovering just above the bruise.

"Oh," Ruby said. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Weiss reassured her.

"Here," Ruby said, placing her hand on the bruise again. She closed her eyes, and a faint red glow appeared around her. Rose petals coated the bruise, and then peeled off. Weiss felt up to where it had been, and realized that there was nothing there.

"How?" Weiss asked.

"I took those medical classes seriously," Ruby replied with a smile. Weiss smiled back, and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. The door suddenly opened up, and Weiss' mother poked her head in. Both girls separated from each other, and sat on Weiss' bed cautiously.

"Just came in to check on you," Weiss' mother said.

"We're fine mom," Weiss replied annoyedly.

"Are you sure? There's nothing I can do? I can't hang around here for a few hours?" Weiss threw a pillow at her mother, who easily ducked out of the way. She tossed it back to her daughter, and looked at them carefully. "You can kiss in front of me you know," she said. "I'm not going to be as protective of you as your father." Weiss nodded, but still remained locked in her place. Ruby looked back and forth, unsure of exactly who to listen too.

"Thank you mother," Weiss said, annoyance laying thick on every word she said.

"Just doing my job," she said, backing out of the room. It closed with a solid noise, and Weiss looked back over at Ruby. Now, they leaned in and kissed each other.

When they pulled out of it, Weiss noticed that her partner was shifting awkwardly in her dress.

"Okay fine," Weiss gave in. "You can change out of it."

"Thank you," Ruby replied. She stood up, and awkwardly walked over to the bathroom. Weiss began to strip out of her clothes as well, not too concerned as to whether or not Ruby saw her. They were both smaller breasted girls with similar builds, and Ruby had already seen her in the nude. She carefully put her combat skirt back on, and finished up with the top. She looked over to the bathroom, and saw that Ruby still hadn't exited.

"Ruby?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

"Are you dressed?" Was the reply. Weiss smiled at her partner, but quickly changed it to a stern look.

"Yes, I'm dressed." The door opened up, and Ruby stepped outside. "What's the big deal? You've already seen me naked."

"But that was an accident," Ruby said sadly. "I don't want to do it again." Weiss just shook her head at her partner. If her father even remotely knew Ruby, then he would realize how foolish his concerns were. Weiss looked outside, and noticed that her garden lights were on.

"Want to take a walk in the garden?" Weiss asked. "It's very lovely, and I know how much you love flowers." Ruby nodded eagerly, and Weiss decided to lead her on a walk. After all, it was considered a very romantic to take your girlfriend through a flower field.

_Nearby_

He setup, and looked over the place carefully. One of them had to expose themselves soon. He carefully looked over, and finally spotted something he wanted. He took a deep breath, and wait on his moment.

_Schnee Garden_

Weiss lead Ruby down the path. The younger girl was taking time to marvel over the wide assortment of different plants that resided within the garden. Weiss smiled at the younger girl's exuberance. At the point in time she was at, she had less admiration of the garden.

"This place is incredible," Ruby remarked. "No wonder you were so uptight when we met you." Ruby winced at her own words, and looked over at Weiss' unamused face. "Sorry?" She tried.

"Not funny," Weiss said, dragging her partner along. Something caught Ruby's eye, and she instinctively paused for a moment. "What now?" Weiss asked. Ruby hesitated, unsure of exactly what she saw.

"Nothing," Ruby said. "I thought I saw something." Weiss shrugged, and kept along her path. Ruby trailed along behind her, but felt somewhat concerned. Oh well, it was probably nothing. She had had a long day between travel, talking to Weiss' parents, well, really talking to Weiss' parents. Her mind was probably just playing tricks on her for being too overworked. It was-.

"Move!" Ruby yelled out to Weiss. She quickly shoved the heiress to the ground, but didn't raise her aura in time. A bullet entered into her side, earning an audible grunt from Ruby. The gunshot finally registered in Weiss' head, and she looked in the direction the bullet had traveled. She looked down to Ruby, and looked for guards.

"Someone call the ambulance!" She yelled out. Weiss quickly launched off several pieces of ice, forcing the shooter to move. She bent down to Ruby, and felt over her quickly. "Ruby?" She asked. "Please tell me you're okay." Ruby coughed slightly, and looked down.

"Totally fine," she reassured her partner. "That just hurt like hell." Weiss gripped her partner's hand, but the ambulance came over quickly.

"Get her in fast," Weiss ordered. She looked back down at Ruby, and then at her wound. She gagged at the open wound, but quickly refocused herself. "I'll be back soon."

"You're fine," Ruby replied. The doctors lifted her into the truck, and Weiss ran off.

She kept going, until she got to the sight of where the shooter had been. She quickly looked down, and hoped that her one on one tracking sessions with Blake would pay off. She followed along the apparent path that was left behind.

She soon heard the sound of loud footsteps, and her gaze narrowed.

"Come out!" She demanded. Weiss waited on anything else to happen. She turned and raised up a glyph instinctively, and heard the sound of a gunshot deflecting off of it. She ran forward, and quickly swung around her sword at the darkness. She felt it make contact with something, and saw a rifle fall to the ground. She lowered her sword, and grabbed at the shape of a collar. She pulled the man out of the darkness, and stared him down.

He had a pair of rams horns, allowing Weiss to identify him as a Faunus. He wore a torn gray coat, and torn gray jeans.

"Who sent you?" Weiss asked angrily.

"No one little girl," he replied cockily. His breath contained a slight stench of alcohol, not enough to make him drunk, but just enough to influence his decisions. "Me and your daddy have a personal dispute." Weiss angrily tossed him to the ground, and realized that she couldn't kill him. At least, not like that.

"Pick it up," Weiss ordered. He looked at her, his eyes glazed over in confusion. "Pick up your rifle," Weiss re-ordered. "Pick it up!" The Faunus picked up the rifle, and turned to face Weiss. As soon as he was fully turned around, the cold bite of Myrtenaster was felt through his chest. "That was for Ruby," she said quietly. He crumpled to the ground, and Weiss kicked over his body. She flagged down a guard, and explained her side of the story. Some of the facts were twisted to match the law allowing her to kill him, but it had to suffice. As soon as she finished, she made a beeline for the hospital.

_Schnee Hospital_

Weiss bolted inside, and went over to the emergency section. The Schnee Manor was built very close to the main Schnee Dust Plant. Since a lot of accidents occurred while working at a dust factory, so Weiss' father had thought it best to build a hospital nearby it. She found the lobby, and checked on the sign. _In process _was the only thing next to Ruby's name. Weiss sat down, and began to rock back and forth. She was petrified of what might happen to her partner. She saw her parents come in, and they quickly sat next to her.

"Weiss," her mother started. "What happened?" Tears were freely forming in Weiss' eyes, and she looked over at her mother.

"She pushed me out of the way," Weiss started. "And she took the bullet." Weiss' parents went silent, and her mother just began to comfort her. Weiss' father attempted to do something similar, but it was difficult for him to be the comforting figure. "Did you call Qrow?" Weiss asked through the tears.

"Yes," her father said. "He's coming along with your other teammates." Weiss nodded, and continued to worry. What would she do without Ruby? Weiss didn't have to wonder long. A doctor came walking down the halls, and spotted then.

"Ah, Ms. Schnee," he said. "Good to see you." Weiss stood up immediately, and looked over at him. "Right, I'll cut to the chase. The bullet missed every major organ and artery in her body. Through and through, and the surgery was a very cautionary measure. No poison, no muscles, she'll be at full function soon. Her aura reserves are strong. I guess she didn't have time to bring it up." Weiss sighed out of relief, and looked over at her father.

"Can you let Qrow know what happened?" She said, her voice breaking with every word. He nodded, and went about his business. Weiss' thoughts became filled with nothing but happiness, and relief._  
_

**End: Mr. Predictable, that's me. So 3 more yays for lemon, and ICE can you let me know of any good, high quality, lemon stories? I don't mean graphic sex, just something that's well written. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, yays, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	17. A Citrussy Sting

A Harsh Reality Ch. 17: A Citrussy Sting**  
**

**So I said 10, I got 15. Lemon may or may not occur, but I'm really looking forward to my warning if it does.**

Weiss continued to sit at her chair, her head staring directly at her lap. She was still torn by what had happened to Ruby. It was a situation where she felt as though she should be the one getting operated on, she should be the one who had to get shot, not Ruby. Why did her partner have to play hero?

She heard the sounds of three pairs of boots walking over to her, and she knew what company had just arrived.

"Weiss," Qrow said immediately. "How is she?"

"She'll live," Weiss said, her voice still sounding panicked. "The doctors said that the bullet missed every muscle, artery, bone, and organ. Through and through, just tissue. They took her in for surgery out of caution." Qrow, Blake, and Yang all threw their heads back in relief. "She got out a little bit ago. They're waiting on the anesthesia to ware off." As if on cue, the same doctor from earlier walked over to them.

"She's in her room," he said briefly. "All of you are welcome to visit." He didn't even need to finish his sentence. The six of them were already on their way to Ruby's room.

They all entered, and saw Ruby sitting idly on her bed.

"Hey Rubes," Yang said, clearly relieved that her sister looked fine. "How ya feeling champ?"

"Don't call me champ," Ruby replied. "The wound doesn't really hurt anymore. Really, apart from all the drugs in these tubes, I'm fine. Should be out tomorrow."

"What exactly happened?" Qrow asked. Mr. and Mrs. Schnee didn't share the details of how Ruby had gotten to that point, making him curious.

"Rest Ruby," Weiss said, mostly ordering and less of a request. "The medicine will work it's way out of your system faster. I'll handle the story." Ruby nodded, and waited for Weiss' retelling. She would only correct if necessary.

"I took her on a walk through the garden," Weiss began. "Ruby was a little panicked about..." Weiss' eyes unconsciously drifted to her parents. "About an earlier discussion," Weiss decided on. "Anyways, she thought that she had seen something. She didn't bring it up again, but-." Weiss paused. Sure, most of Yang's threats made against her were done in a very playful fashion. But now, there was an injury done to Ruby in place of her. Weiss knew Ruby was still awake, and prayed that that alone would be enough to keep Yang under wraps. "Ruby pushed me out of the way," Weiss continued. "And she took the bullet."

"What?" Yang asked, her voice rising in anger.

"Yang," Weiss began. "I didn't ask her too, nor do I wish that she was here. I'd rather have it with me being here instead of her."

"Ruby," Yang said, her voice now changing it's tone with every word. "Why'd you do that?"

"You would of done the same for Blake," Ruby replied, her voice sounding less distant as the IV's pushed the drugs out of her system {**A/N**}. "And Weiss would of done the same for me." Yang shook her head, and wiped the nervous tears from her cheek.

"You drive me crazy baby sis, you know that?" Ruby nodded, and Yang forced herself back in her chair. Mr. Schnee walked over to Ruby's bedside, and looked over the injured girl.

"It appears that I was wrong to ever consider disapproving of you," Mr. Schnee said. "You just showed reckless abandon, which is something that I can respect. If it's any consolation to you being stuck here, you have my full approval."

"Thanks," Ruby said, a grin appearing on her face. A huge weight had just been lifted from her mind. She had the full green light from Weiss' dad, all she had to do was not screw it up. Then again, Ruby didn't put it past herself to do so.

"Well then," Qrow said. "I'm grateful that there's a hospital right next to where you are residing, my niece." He looked over, and had Yang flag down a nurse. She walked over to them, and looked carefully at the Schnee's. The entire Schnee family, her employers, was standing around this patient.

"What can I do for ya?" She asked calmly.

"Can you give me an estimate of when my niece will be let out of the hospital?" Qrow asked. The nurse flipped through her papers, and found the file she was looking for.

"Soon as the dust readers come up negative for any signs of the more powerful medications still lingering," the nurse replied. "Which should be in about an hour." She turned to walk away, but heard a solid beep as she walked out. She briefly turned back, and let out an audible puff of surprise. "Or right now." She looked over at Ruby. "You really a tough kid, you know that?"

"She certainly is," Qrow whispered softly. "At that positive news, Blake, Yang, we should really get back. Otherwise, we'll have to deal with traffic." The other two nodded, and walked over to Ruby.

"See you later Rubes," Yang said, kissing her sister on the forehead at the conclusion of her statement.

"Bye Yang," Ruby replied. "Bye Blake."

"Bye Ruby," Blake replied. Qrow looked down at his niece, and then over at Weiss.

"Next time she's going to get shot," he began. "Please, throw someone else in the way." Everyone laughed slightly at the joke, but then he became more serious again. "Bye my niece."

"Bye Uncle," Ruby said. The three of them walked out of the room, and the nurse went to work removing all of the tubes from Ruby.

_Qrow's Home: An hour later_

The three of them walked inside, and all of them let out a heavy sigh. The concern that had rested over their minds when the news had come by their ears had finally been lifted. Unfortunately, this incident might concern Qrow beyond just the well-being of his niece.

"Well girls," he said. "It does appear that I have to run out to check up on exactly what this mans intentions were. It's standard for people like myself. Stay out of trouble and there's leftover pizza." Qrow quickly closed the door, and went to his car.

Yang and Blake sat in the room, unsure of really what to do. Yang had just been through a rollercoaster of emotions, but now it settled at a high point. Blake shared concerns for both their leader and her partner. Either way, now they had both settled in.

"When will he come back?" Blake asked, still unsure about Blake's father.

"Tomorrow morning," Yang replied. "He'll probably sleep somewhere nearby after the meeting." Blake nodded again, and thought if there was anything that she wanted to do.

"Now what do we do?" Blake asked. Yang thought for a moment, and then gestured for Blake to rest her head on her shoulder. Blake complied, and Yang began to gently stroke back the girl's hair.

"You know," Yang said. "You had a thought about doing something earlier, before my dad came home. What was that?"

"It was nothing," Blake said instantly. She knew what she had thought, but didn't think that now was a good time to bring it up.

"Come on Blakey," Yang said, nudging her partner gently. "Whatever it is, we will be able to do." Blake turned her head at her partner, and let her eyes talk.

**WARNING: A CITRUSSY FRUIT IS INBOUND**

Yang smiled back at her partner, and brought her face up to her own. They held their position in a kiss for a while, but then Blake decided to let her hands wander. She lowered her hand into Yang's chest, and started to gently caress her partner's breast. Yang moaned lightly at the feeling, and she decided to return the favor. She started to gently rub around Blake's breasts, earning a purr from her partner.

Yang managed to pull herself away from Blake, and tossed off her top. Luckily for Blake, Yang very rarely wore anything beneath her shirt. Blake now gently placed her mouth over Yang's exposed chest, and began to suck softly. Yang pushed her partner's head further in, and leaned her head back in pleasure. She had enough composure to reach forward, and unhook her partner's bra. Blake either didn't notice, or didn't care. Though, from the way her tongue was working it was difficult to tell.

Yang was somehow able to toss away her partner's bra, despite the fact that Blake was hanging onto her nipple closely. Yang then pushed her partner's head back.

"Allow me," Yang said, a wicked grin worn proudly on her face. She removed her partner's top, and her breasts were plainly exposed. Yang noticed how stiff her nipples were already, earning a smile from Yang. She was glad that her partner enjoyed her own breasts so much. She quickly brought her head down to Blake's right breast, leaving the left one to Yang's much more dominant right hand. Blake purred in immense pleasure. Blake was glad that she had waited until Yang, because there was no way anyone else could supply her with the feelings that the brawler could.

Yang finally brought her head out, and looked up and down her partner. She could already see a small supply of juices pooling near her partner's core, but Yang also knew that the odds that she would be able to continue post-ejaculation were much higher then Blake's. She tossed off her skirt, and undid her boots. Blake followed her lead, and they both were soon dressed in only the clothing they were born with.

Yang wasted no time in grabbing Blake's head, and "guided" it between her thighs. She didn't feel like teasing, nor did she feel like fucking around with any fingers. All she wanted, was her girlfriend's head on the part of her that was the most pleasurable. Blake didn't need too much of a hint, and she quickly planted her tongue inside of Yang's pussy. Yang immediately let out an audible gasp, which Blake took as a good sign.

She quickly moved it around, and brought it in and out. Yang was moaning loudly, immensely pleased with her partner's work. She felt a whirlwind of emotions coming through her, all of them good. What Blake was doing now compared to earlier was like day and night, and Yang appreciated the transition. She grabbed onto her breasts, just to give herself some sort of thing to grasp onto. Soon, she arched her back and yelled out. A small stream of fluids gushed from Yang's center, and Blake easily lapped it up. Yang gasped for a moment, but made sure to regain her composure.

"My turn," she said. She grabbed Blake's legs, and spread them apart. She saw Blake's eager expression, and smiled. Yang was in full control of the situation. Despite how eager Blake was, a little bit of teasing was in Yang's repertoire. She gently stroked her fingers out and around her partner's core, and saw the pained look in Blake's face. She felt incredible, but all she wanted was for Yang to just put her fingers inside.

"Beg," Yang said coolly. Blake had a better idea. She used her superior reflexes to grab Yang's hand, and placed it inside of her. Yang grinned at her partner's tactic, and gestured for Blake to remove it. She quickly began to pump her fingers in and out, earning loud meows from her feline partner. Yang brought her head down, and added her tongue to the equation. Blake knew that she couldn't hold on much longer, and she just cried out louder. She let out one last shout, and let the juices pool out.

Both girls let their naked bodies lay over each other for a while. They looked around, and saw that much fewer items had been knocked over.

"Want to get some sleep?" Blake asked.

"That tired already my kitten?" Yang asked teasingly. Blake shrugged, and started to walk upstairs. She took care to only pick up her clothes, and let Yang observe he move along. "You've gotten rather _catty _haven't you?

**End: First real lemon chapter. I'd really appreciate feedback on how this one went over, given that I've never attempted something like this before. Yay or nay for keeping it in my repertoire? Questions, comments, follows, favorites, lemon responses, and feedback is enormously appreciated.**


	18. The Stem Remained

A Harsh Reality Ch. 18: The Stem Remained

**WELP I fucked up two things A/N wise. First off, someone said to use Ruby's rose petals as a distraction method, but that's not actually how they work. They're a byproduct of Ruby's aura/semblance being activated. When she dedicated some of her energy to heal Weiss, the wound was coated with rose petals because Ruby was using a fair amount of her aura. Second thing was an actual A/N I left but never addressed. I really wanted to go on and on about the hospital experience cause that I know a little too well. Thought it would be boring, so I left it at the IV. Lastly, it sounds like people thought it was good for my first lemon. Questions about it being used in that situation, and I sort of agree. Really wanted to show Blake helping out take Yang's mind away from Ruby, probably went a little extreme. I'll keep it in my back pocket, but don't expect this to become a lemon filled story. Honestly, it took me I think 2 hours to get it done. Anyways, now that I've written an inordinate amount of words for this A/N, let's get to the part that you really care about.**

Weiss held Ruby's arm around her neck, and gingerly lead her upstairs. Ruby let out a few grunts per step, but otherwise she seemed to be trying to stay strong. They entered into their shared room, and Weiss laid Ruby down on her bed.

"Thanks," Ruby groaned.

"Is there anything else that you need?" Weiss asked, looking at the large bandage that was only just visible behind Ruby's clothes.

"Yeah," Ruby groaned. "Can you get me some hot chocolate?" Weiss nodded, and left to grab it. As soon as she left, Ruby looked around her bed. She identified the bed frame, and reached out her hand to grab it. She pulled herself up, biting her tongue to avoid calling out in pain. She lifted up her shirt, and looked down at the bandage. There was a reason that Ruby had never missed a lot of time from injuries, and it was time to see if that still worked. She activated her aura, and felt the rose petals begin to form.

"Come on," Ruby whispered quietly. "Please let this work." She opened up her hands, and saw that a white rose had formed. She lowered it down to what remained of her wound, and felt everything else sort itself out. She let out a happy sigh, and removed the bandage. The door opened up soon after, and Ruby adopted a deer in headlights look.

"I got the hot chocolate," Weiss said. "It should be-." Weiss paused upon seeing Ruby. The rose that Ruby had, had disappeared. All Weiss could see was her partner, who had just been shot, removing her own bandage. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Weiss cried out. Ruby easily stood up, and stretched out. Weiss froze completely, unsure of anything else. "How?" She asked. Ruby hesitated, bu decided to tell Weiss what had happened.

"Well," Ruby said. "I, uh, sort of healed myself."

"Sort of?" Weiss asked, more confused then ever. Ruby sighed, and triggered her aura. She felt the rose petals form in her hand, and she quickly opened them up. A similar white rose rested in her hand, and Weiss was unsure of how to react.

"My Mom," Ruby said sadly. "This was her last gift. This is why I always bounce back so quickly after injury." Weiss just stared at the rose in Ruby's hands, unsure of whether or not to believe what the girl was telling her. She just brought the hot chocolate over, and set it down by Ruby's bed. She took one of the cups for herself, and handed the other over to Ruby.

"Just don't make a habit of getting shot," Weiss said, trying to add in as much annoyance as she had in her body to her words. Perhaps she used a little too much, because all Ruby did was smile at her.

"Try to not make a habit of getting shot at," Ruby replied innocently.

"Old habits die hard," Weiss told her, repeating a familiar phrase to their relationship. She leaned in, and kissed Ruby. They were so involved with the kiss, they didn't notice that the door was slightly cracked.

"Ahem," Weiss' father coughed. Weiss pulled away from Ruby, and looked over at her father. "I came to see how you were doing, Ms. Rose. It appears that you are somehow healed up. I don't want to know how, I'm just going to assume that my daughter helped you." He started to close the door, but decided on one more sentence. "I also didn't just see that." The door closed, and Weiss watched him go.

"He's awkward," Ruby remarked.

"No, he just doesn't want to see his daughter with another girl," Weiss replied. "Just because he approves doesn't mean that he's totally okay with this yet. We're going to have to give him time." Ruby nodded, and sat back in her bed.

"Hey Weiss," she said suddenly. Weiss looked over at her partner, and waited on the question. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Weiss was taken aback by the question, and she was unable to formulate an answer. "It's what Yang always did when I left the hospital."

"How often did major injuries occur?" Weiss asked, slightly concerned.

"That's not important," Ruby replied sweetly. "Please Weiss?" Weiss sighed, and laid down in her bed. She patted the spot next to her, and pointed over at Ruby. She eagerly walked over to her partner, and laid down next to her. She curled up in Weiss' arms, and rested her head on the heiress' chest.

"Just like when we started dating," Ruby whispered softly.

"Save the fact that you're _much _more sober," Weiss remarked. She started to rub her hand around Ruby's hair. Ruby quickly fell asleep, and Weiss trailed her shortly.

_Weiss_

Her eyes opened up, and she looked around her. She was in her room, it was still night, but why could she see herself. She looked down, and saw that she was fully present. What was this?

"Hello Weiss," a calming voice said. She turned quickly, and saw a woman in a white cloak, with white hair, and silver eyes. "It is with great pleasure that I can finally meet you."

"Who are you?" Weiss asked, backing away from her. "And where am I?"

"You're in your room of course," the woman replied. "Only, you are viewing it from the perspective that I deemed necessary."

"What?"

"You're outside of your body in this dream. A cliche, I know. It's been done so many times, but that's because it's effective." Weiss looked at her and Ruby sleeping peacefully, and allowed herself a smile. "You treat my daughter well," the woman said. "I am grateful she found you."

"Wait," Weiss said, turning to face the woman again. "Summer?" The woman nodded at her words. "I thought you..." Weiss hesitated. She had heard so much about Ruby's mother. From her father, Ozpin, Qrow, Ruby, Yang, everyone. This was the woman that knew everyone, but failed to preserve her own life.

"Thought I died?" Summer remarked. "Yes, that was an event of the past."

"But..."

"How am I here?" Summer replied easily. It seemed as though this wasn't the first time that she had done something of this sort. "I was strong enough when I passed away to be able to visit those that I so chose too." Summer floated over to her daughter, and looked down at her. "As I have done so often with Ruby." She gently brushed back a lock of hair, and then faced Weiss again. "Now, it appears that she has finally found someone that I can give the mother talk too." She smiled at her own words, but then returned to her business.

"Ruby's love is very similar to a rose," she started. "As is mine, as is Yang's, as is our whole family's. It is never truly gone. As long as the stem remains, we will remain loving. You seemed to of have earned Ruby's love. I suggest that you treat it was extreme care. Remember, my daughter has already suffered a significant loss in her life. That was by force. I fear that losing someone by their own actions might be too much for her more simplistic soul. Take extreme care of her." Summer's image began to disappear into white rose petals, and she smiled down at Weiss.

"It appears that my time is up," she said. "The presence of Grimm in this world is almost too much to prevent me from making such trips."

"Presence of Grimm?" Weiss asked.

"Of course, my daughter's love. I tell you only what I tell my daughter. Grimm is so much more then a simple monster." Her entire image faded into the petals, and left Weiss standing there.

Weiss woke up shortly after, and looked around the room. _A dream, _she thought. Weiss noticed the absence of Ruby on her chest, and she quickly sat up. She checked the ground, and noticed white rose petals resting where Summer had been. _What the hell is with this woman? _Weiss wondered. The door to the bathroom opened up, and Ruby walked in.

"Morning Weiss," she said eagerly.

"Morning Ruby," Weiss said, more awake then she usually was. Ruby noticed this, and walked over to her.

"What's up?" She asked sweetly.

"It's-." Weiss paused. "Just a dream," she finished. There were certain things that she didn't have to share with Ruby. Ruby nodded, and then looked at the door.

"Your Mom came in earlier," Ruby said. "She woke me up, and told me to tell you that they want to see you."

"She saw us?" Weiss asked, panic filling her voice. Ruby nodded.

"Don't worry, she didn't think we did anything." Weiss calmed down, but then looked down at her clothing. She was going to have to change to get ready.

_Elsewhere_

He set down his cup of coffee, and looked over at his compatriot.

"The man that made the attempt is not why you wanted to see me," he remarked. "Is it?"

"No, Qrow, it isn't," he started. "I was unsure of it, but now I'm positive. Summer left her with a gift."

"That isn't surprising," Qrow replied, picking up his coffee. "My sister was never one to leave someone alone when she cared for them."

"But when she visited me, she mentioned something about the presence of Grimm." Qrow took a long look at his friend, and sighed.

"She mentioned something of the same sorts to me," he said. "Do you think that the legends are true?"

"I don't know what to think," he replied sadly. "This is something that none of our students are prepared to deal with. The hunters we have active are even less prepared."

"Are you implying what I think you are?" He nodded at the words. "Then we should be grateful that school starts soon. I'll inform my professors to work the Legend of Grimm into the semester."

**End: A little bit shorter then normal, but this idea came into my mind halfway through the chapter for the Legend of Grimm. What could it be? Questions, comments, follows, favorites, what legends, and feedback is appreciated.**


	19. Some Birds Do Not Wish To Sing

A Harsh Reality Ch. 19: Some Birds Do Not Wish To Sing

**Probably should of have clarified that the white rose was not a reference to White Rose in this story. Summer disappeared into a flurry white roses in the trailer, so her healing gift was portrayed through a white rose. I guess there's nothing for the cover, so I might stop asking.**

Weiss walked downstairs, and saw her parents waiting on her.

"There you are," her father said. "Did you and your... Company sleep well?" He still danced around the word girlfriend. It was difficult for him to accept the fact that his daughter was dating. Most of the arranged dates had been his wife's idea, and not his own. Even when Weiss had rejected people he had selected, he was slightly happy. It was difficult for a father to accept that there was another presence in his daughter's life. At least it wasn't a masculine one. There were several things about Ruby he was grateful for, but it wasn't something he was going to let be known.

"Yes, my _girlfriend_ and I slept well," Weiss said, emphasizing girlfriend as much as possible. "Why'd you call me down?"

"We are expecting company," Weiss' mother said. "The Reginald Dust Company's family in power is coming over. We simply want to remind you to entertain them." Weiss nodded, and waited for the item that was always associated with her and entertainment. Her father threw a music book at her, which Weiss easily snagged.

"Pick a few songs just in case," her father said. "You might not need it."

"But it's better to be prepared," Weiss said, finishing her fathers sentence. "I got it." Weiss was already on her way upstairs, unsure of exactly how to bring this up to Ruby.

She opened up her door, and saw Ruby absentmindedly blowing a piece of paper back and forth. Ruby immediately stopped, and looked over at Weiss.

"The Reginald's are coming over," Weiss said. "A bunch of dust people."

"Like you?" Ruby asked.

"Not as powerful," Weiss explained. "But we are still required to entertain them." Weiss paused, and looked down at the book. "Ruby," she started. "Did I ever mention that I can sing?" Ruby shook her head, but still looked eager. "Well, it was discovered by accident. My parents decided to pursue it. I took vocal lessons for a fair portion of my life. Now, I use it to help entertain in case it comes up. Most people are aware that the Schnee's daughter is a singer."

"I wasn't," Ruby mumbled.

"Most dust companies," Weiss corrected. "But now I have to pick a few songs..." She gestured over to Ruby, and then her book. Ruby finally figured out what she was so blatantly hinting at. She opened up the book, and began to sort through the songs.

"How about-?" Ruby started.

"No," Weiss shot down immediately.

"Aww," Ruby said sadly. She pointed to another one, and raised an eyebrow at her partner.

"Sure," Weiss agreed. She wrote down the word _Gold, _and then looked over at the song. A more difficult song, since the chorus was done entirely in falsetto. No matter, if ti was in the book she could do it. Ruby flipped through a few more pages, and picked out another song. Weiss nodded again, and added in the word _Wings _into the book. A longer, sadder song. Weiss was actually fairly positive that Ruby was picking songs off of title, and ignoring the meaning.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, looking at the remaining songs. "How many do you need."

"Five to be safe," Weiss replied. Ruby seemed overwhelmed, which just made Weiss smile. She pointed out another song, and this time Weiss hesitated. She started to shake her head, but stopped halfway through. It was doable, so she would make an attempt. Weiss added in _I May Fall _to her notes. A song originally intended for two, and with a stronger rock influence. Either way, she should be able to do it with one person. Ruby already had another picked out, which Weiss was suddenly surprised at.

"I love this song," Ruby said {**A/N**}. Weiss looked thought for a moment, but then realized that there might of have been something in the title that lead Ruby to this song. _Red Like Roses Pt. II _was added into the heiress' notes. A song that sounded rock, but had a deeper meaning. Ruby's face became puzzled at one of the songs, and Weiss had to lean over.

"I haven't heard this before," Ruby remarked.

"You wouldn't of," Weiss said quietly. "I wrote this."

"Really?" Ruby said eagerly. "Then that one."

"No," Weiss said quickly. "I don't want to revisit that song."

"Why?"

"It's..." Weiss hesitated. She couldn't come up with anything logical to say in place of the truth. So, she had to settle for half truth. "It's a personal song," she finished.

"Can I hear it?" Ruby asked. "I'll pick something else, I promise. I just want to hear you sing it." Weiss sighed, and looked down at the lyrics. She didn't need the music, this song was locked into her mind and heart.

"Mirror," she began. "Tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest, of all?" Ruby sat, mesmerized by the haunting medley that Weiss was able to craft. The true meaning of the song became apparent, causing Ruby to realize why Weiss didn't want to share the song with others. It was something that was intended for Weiss, and Weiss only. The knowledge that she was being allowed to hear this was very encouraging for their relationship.

She finished, and stared at Ruby for a long time. She spent a long time waiting on Ruby's response, making her concerned.

"Ruby?" She asked gingerly.

"That was awesome," Ruby said. "How did this never come up?"

"It's personal," Weiss repeated. "I spent so long training to do this, and then I changed courses. I guess I never wanted them to mix." Ruby nodded, and then picked out one more from the book. Weiss wrote down _Red Like Roses, _and just smiled. The song that was the supposed prequel to Ruby's favorite song. It would be the one that she selected.

"Thanks for letting me help," Ruby said.

"Thanks for helping me," Weiss countered. Both girls nodded, and Weiss realized that she still had to make Ruby more presentable. As Weiss' girlfriend/date to the event, she would be expected to meet them. Weiss adored Ruby, thought the world of her, but she wasn't exactly fashionable.

"Okay Ruby," Weiss began. "Time to get you another dress."

"Aw man," Ruby said sadly.

_An Hour Later_

Ruby spun around, showcasing the simple red dress that Weiss had re-ordered for her girlfriend. She had gotten some minor fit changes, so that it didn't cling so tightly around Ruby's skin.

"It feels so much better," Ruby said with a happy sigh.

"Good," Weiss replied. "It would be bad if my date passed out from a lack of oxygen in the middle of dinner." Ruby nodded, and looked over at the clock. Weiss noticed this movement, and decided to end any questions before they could happen. "They'll arrive in another hour." Ruby sighed, and looked outside. If she wasn't wearing this dress, she would of have gladly gone out for a walk or run. But it had taken her 20 minutes just to put the dress on.

"Now what do we do?" Ruby asked.

"We kill time," Weiss replied. She sat down on her bed, and gestured for Ruby to take the seat next to her. Ruby sat down, and leaned her head on Weiss' shoulder.

_Elsewhere_

He jumped into his car, and watched as his former partner had done the same. They had discussed the Legend of Grimm at great lengths, concerned as to how true it's origins may be. If they were as accurate as they both feared, then his daughter, niece, and their team were all woefully under prepared. He was fortunate to of have already been gathering intel on exactly what was going to be needed. He had trusted his late sister's words much more then others may of have, which caused him to be prepared. For now, there were people that needed to be watched over.

_Bumblebee_

Yang and Blake both were sitting quietly at the table. Both of them had just finished eating, and they knew that Qrow would be returning soon. A status update that they had received from Weiss told them that Ruby had fully recovered. Blake was amazed at how fast the girl had done so, but Yang knew about Summer's gift. She had to assume that Weiss had been informed of the healing powers of the flower that could manifest itself when Ruby was injured. Maybe she would tell Blake, but there wasn't really a reason too.

"So uh," Yang said. "Come around here often?"

"Are you attempting bar banter at your kitchen table?" Blake asked.

"Listen, we need to kill some time here. I'm just trying to find a way to do so that doesn't involve..." Yang paused unsure of really what to say. _Awkward moments for anyone who sees this? _She wondered. _No, too strange. _"That doesn't involve sex," Yang finished bluntly.

"What an underwhelming finish," Blake replied, a smile showing on her face. "Want me to get you some more coffee?"

"You're still technically the guest," Yang said, standing up. "I'll get me some coffee and you some tea." Blake nodded, and leaned back in her chair. Yang walked over, and grabbed her a cup of tea. Despite the fact that both of them had been more intimate yesterday, twice, she was still grateful that their relationship hadn't reached that point permanently. She enjoyed her mindless banter between herself and her girlfriend. The playful arguments over, what really amounted to, nothing.

She returned, and set down the cup of tea in front of Blake. Her feline girlfriend had done what she could to take her mind away from Ruby. To which, Yang was grateful for. Though, Blake may of have gone a little bit overboard in her choice of tactics. Either way, Yang spent very few days not being happy that herself and Blake were dating.

"Now what?" Blake asked, her ears twitching. They could very little of anything until Qrow came back. After all, he had to clear them to do anything before hand. They only had his clearance as far as cooking, and that was taken care of. Yang had already informed Blake that if Qrow left a gray area, then that was the area that they could expose. Otherwise, it was best to generally steer clear of anything that he had specified. Doing anything beyond getting breakfast was something that he had specified.

"I guess we wait," Yang replied. "We could check the news." Blake nodded, and turned the TV on.

"In continuing coverage of our biggest story," Lisa reported. "The failed assassination attempt on Weiss Schnee, has so far yielded nothing in way of any leads. It has not slowed down the further advances of the Schnee's and Reginald's in attempting to strike up a deal. The dinner will continue on into tonight. If things go the way that both sides wish it too, they should have a deal done by the end of the night."

"Guess Weiss and Ruby already have big things coming up," Yang remarked.

**Shorter then normal, but I did want to separate this and the next chapter. A/N, Red Like Roses Pt. II is my personal favorite from the track. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated. **


	20. Sour Entertainment

A Harsh Reality Ch. 20: Sour Entertainment

**NO LEMON! The sour part is not referring to any potential lemon/lime/other-shit in this chapter. This warning was placed at the beginning of the last chapter, but I changed where I wanted to end it and the title {totally forgot to change that though}. Bringing up the cover uno mas time. Someone brought up having Ruby sing, but I'm going against that. I gave her an artistic ability already, and Weiss' singing has already been used in the trailers. So no singing for Ruby.**

He placed down another book. His time studying the Legend of Grimm revealed exactly what he feared it would, nothing. Well, nothing new that is to say. Every myth followed along the same path as the one he had always heard of. No matter, time to worry would come later on. That is of course, if his old friend had her facts straight.

_White Rose_

Weiss finished up her last warm up, and then set down the book. Ruby still observed her carefully, but it was less in awe and more in surprise.

"Most of those warm ups didn't sound pretty," the younger girl remarked.

"They're not intended too," Weiss replied. "They're just supposed to get my vocal chords ready to sing." Ruby nodded, still not really understanding how something so ugly could translate into something so beautiful. Since Ruby had taken so long to get her dress on, Weiss was already dressed in a long white dress for the company. "We should probably get downstairs," Weiss told her girlfriend. "So that way we can greet them as they come."

"Your call," Ruby remarked. Weiss started to walk downstairs, with Ruby trailing her shortly.

They arrived, and saw that Weiss' father and mother were both already there. Neither of them spent too much time acknowledging the presence of their daughter and her girlfriend. The Reginald's were supposed to arrive at any moment. _Where are they? _Weiss wondered. _They should-. _Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door, and the entrance of the Reginald's.

The Reginald's all shared a very similar family look. All of them were dressed in green, with the mother wearing a dress and the father and son wearing suits, and they all had red eyes accompanied by green hair.

"Hello Mr. Schnee," Mr. Reginald greeted. "It's good to see you again."

"As it is good to see you," Mr. Schnee replied. "You have already met my wife, as I have met yours." Both Mrs. Schnee and Mrs. Reginald shook hands with each other, and their respective husbands. "But I do believe there are a few introductions." Mr. Schnee pushed Weiss forward slightly, and then looked back at the Reginald's. "This is my daughter, Weiss Schnee."

"Nice to meet you," Weiss said politely.

"Nice to meet you too Ms. Schnee," Mr. Reginald said. "I heard about the attempt on your life. I'm grateful that you are okay."

"Thank you," Weiss replied, stealing a glance back at Ruby.

"And lastly," Mr. Schnee continued. "This is my daughter's..." He paused. Does he introduce Ruby as a girlfriend? Or just a teammate? This was a business meeting after all.

"My girlfriend," Weiss finished. "Ruby Rose."

"Nice to meet you," Ruby repeated, following her girlfriends lead. Mr. Reginald's gaze became somewhat amused.

"Girlfriend huh?" He asked. "As in properly dating?" Both girls nodded. "How interesting. Well, this is my son, Nathaniel."

"Hey," Nathaniel said.

"So, where to now?" Mrs. Reginald asked.

"Dinner," Mrs. Schnee replied. "After all, it would be pointless to try and negotiate on an empty stomach."

_Half-Way Through Dinner_

The two families parents were deep in discussion over every and any business deals. They had eaten only half of the time up to that point, with the other half being dedicated to their negotiations. Weiss, Ruby, and Nathaniel had said very little up to that point. Actually, Nathaniel had said nothing. Weiss only occasionally scolded Ruby on her manners. Soon, the three of them had finished. Nathaniel stood up, and spoke for the first time since arriving.

"May I ask as to where the restroom is?" He asked.

"The closest one is down that hall, just past the kitchen," Weiss replied. He nodded in appreciation, and quickly left to relieve himself.

"And that should be most of the details," Mr. Schnee finished up. "I will pull up some official paperwork, and we'll get this deal done."

"Wonderful," Mr. Reginald finished. "Now, may I ask, I've heard that your daughter can sing?" He partially asked, and partially requested. Mr. Schnee checked to ensure that his daughter had finished, and then changed his gaze to one of questions.

"It would be my pleasure," Weiss said instantly. She went to stand, and Mr. Schnee gestured to the nearby band that had been playing some music. They knew the drill. She stood ready, and picked the first song that was prepared, Gold. She listened to the band begin to play, and waited on her count.

_A While Later_

Weiss had finished up her last song, and she curtsied politely. The Reginald's, Schnee's, and Ruby all applauded as Weiss took a seat.

"You did awesome," Ruby whispered to Weiss.

"Thanks," Weiss replied.

"Well done Ms. Schnee," Mr. Reginald said. "I am grateful to end the night in a good way." He looked around, and realized that his son was still absent. Nathaniel had returned, but he had left shortly there after, arguing that he had a medical condition that made him go to the bathroom more frequently. That hadn't been too long ago, so none of them were really that suspicious that he still hadn't returned. Ruby leaned over to Weiss, and whispered something into her ear. Weiss whispered something back, and Ruby nodded.

"If you'll excuse me," Ruby said. "I have to use the restroom." The others nodded, not really paying much mind to her. Ruby knew that she was out of place as the only non-Schnee/Reginald present. She didn't really have to use the restroom, and she had informed Weiss of that. She walked down the halls, and spotted the exit. She quickly took it, and made a beeline for what was her favorite spot at the Schnee Manor.

He watched her use the exit, and smiled. It was all playing perfectly for his hand. Now, it was time for his move.

Ruby wandered around the garden, taking in every sight. She hoped that one day, she would become better versed in the Schnee families business. But for now, she just felt estranged while talks of dust were going on. Weiss was always listening intently, trying to pick up as much as she could. Ruby didn't have the attention span for that. Instead, she decided to take a brief stroll through the garden. A beautiful sight that, despite the fact that she had been shot here, calmed her down.

She continued to move along, but heard a soft noise behind her. She turned around defensively, but didn't see anything. It wouldn't be any Grimm, since security had been tightened since the incident. But she didn't think that it would be a person. She didn't believe that anyone was going to try and sneak up behind her. She figured it was probably just the wind. She turned back around, and kept walking.

She was completely unaware of the presence behind her, until she felt a strong grip on her hands. She was pushed against a wall, and then turned to face them. It was... Wait, was that who she thought it was.

"Nathaniel?" She asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"Hello Ms. Rose," Nathaniel replied, his face right in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked, panic starting to replace the confusion. She tried to push away from him, but felt how strong his grip was.

"Hm, let me think. I have you pushed against a wall, my aura is active, it's dark, and no one can see us." Ruby didn't care what his meaning was, she knew that she had to get out. "Sh, sh, sh, don't fight it," he said coldly. "Just accept what is about to happen."

"Get off of me," Ruby said, trying to overpower him.

"That won't happen until I'm finished," he said coldly. "See, you're not a Schnee. I can do what I please here." He forced her hands together, and used one to keep a hold on them. "Let us begin, shall we?" Before he could do anything, his grip faltered on Ruby. His hand flew up to his face, and he turned to face where the hit had come from. Just as he did, Ruby brought up her high heel shoe into his head, sending him to the ground. She looked over to see who had helped her, and saw that Weiss was standing there. And she looked pissed.

"Asshole," she grumbled. "Creep, high and mighty." She brushed off her dress sleeves, and faced Ruby. "You okay?" Ruby nodded, rubbing her wrists.

"Thanks," she said briefly.

"No problem." Nathaniel already began to stir, and Weiss decided to place a glyph on his wrists to prevent him from trying anything else. He woke up, and looked down at his wrists. He face filled with rage, and he looked back at the other two girls.

"You bitch!" He said angrily. He tried to lunge at Weiss, but Ruby's foot hit his face again. "What do you think will happen?" He challenged. "It'll be word against yours." Weiss' anger reached a breaking point, and she picked him to face her.

"Listen here you punk shit," she said angrily. "You may of have pulled crap like this before, but now it's our word against yours. I'm a Schnee, and you just tried to rape my girlfriend." She started to drag him back towards the house, her anger making fueling her glyphs very easy.

_Schnee Manor: Dining Room_

Mr. Schnee looked around again. Still no sign of Nathaniel, Ruby, nor Weiss. He tapped his foot nervously. He hoped that nothing bad had happened. He heard some footsteps, and he looked over to the entrance to the dining room. He saw Nathaniel with glyphs around his hands, Weiss dragging him, and Ruby trailing. He could also pick out the injuries lining Nathaniel's face. At that point, his wife was leading the Reginald's around the house. He decided to keep whatever had happened quiet, until he learned the details.

"What the hell happened?" He asked quietly.

"He," Weiss spat, tossing Nathaniel to the ground. "Tried to rape Ruby."

"She's lying," Nathaniel said angrily. Too angrily. It didn't matter what he had said, or how much anger had been used. He trusted that his daughter wouldn't do something like this. It wasn't in her nature.

"He pushed me against a wall," Ruby began. "Held my arms there, and told me to accept what would happen. Weiss came in and saved me." She looked over at Weiss, and now that the pressure of the situation was off, she felt more comfortable making this remark. "Guess we're even."

"Lying bitches," he said. He lunged forward, and tried to reach Weiss and Ruby. Mr. Schnee stepped forward, and swung his face across Nathaniel's face.

"I cannot wait to tell your father of this," he remarked.

"Tell me of what?" Mr. Reginald's asked. He had just returned to the room, trailed by his wife and Mrs. Schnee. He looked over, and saw the white glyph around Nathaniel's hands. "What?" He repeated, a little more urgently.

"It appears that your son attempted to rape my daughter's girlfriend," Mr. Schnee said. "Which means, the deal's off." Weiss looked at her father in surprise. Mr. Reginald appeared to be as surprised.

"He's lying!" Nathaniel cried out.

"Shut up!" Mr. Reginald replied. "Mr. Schnee, how sure are you of this?"

"My daughter would never fabricate such a story," he replied. "From what I can tell of the girl that saved my daughter's life, she would never do anything of that sorts either. I do not care about your company, the law will rain down heavily on your son."

"As sure as you are, I am equally as sure. My son would never do such a thing." A false realization hit him, and he stared angrily at Mr. Schnee. "You want my company, don't you?!" He asked angrily.

"Mr. Reginald-."

"No, that's it. You are going to fabricate a story so that you can receive my company for yourself." Mr. Schnee straightened out his tie, and smiled.

"Those that are current partner's with you would receive your company if you can no longer support it, correct?" Mr. Schnee asked. Mr. Reginald nodded, anger still pooling in his eyes. "Then you are truly a fool. The deal is off, as is any potential partnership. Now, please get out of my house." Mr. Reginald tried to run at Mr. Schnee, but a glyph blocked his path. "Guards!" Mr. Schnee yelled out. "Throw them out."

"You'll regret this!" Mr. Reginald yelled out.

"Oh, I sincerely doubt that."

The Reginald's were thrown out, leaving the Schnee's and Ruby to themselves. Weiss immediately hugged her father, and looked up at him.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Of course," he replied, hugging her back. "Ms. Rose saved your life, and canceling a deal with those scum is the least I can do for what was about to be done to her." He looked over at Ruby, and nodded. "Thank you for what you've done. You exposed the Reginald's for what they are, and I promise you that I won't do anything to endanger those that my daughter cares for." Ruby smiled, and walked over to him. She wrapped him in a hug, to which Mr. Schnee returned. Perhaps he could get used to his daughter dating a girl as sweet as Ruby.

**End: Man, I am really using every cliche in the book, huh? Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	21. A Legend to Pursue

A Harsh Reality Ch. 21: A Legend to Pursue

**Apologies for the later upload. Had this chapter done for a while, but the issue is that FF decided to make only manage stories unavailable either just for me, or for some odd reason.**

**So I just want to say this. If I do not address your comment in a PM, I will attempt to do so in the next chapter if I deem it necessary. If it's just "More please," or "Can't wait for the next chapter," {hastily made examples} I obviously won't address that one. I do read every single review and PM sent my way though. In terms of one comment, I 100% agree Ruby should of have put up more of a fight. If you look at specifics and not how I attempt to spin it, then you will notice a lot of inconsistencies with their level of strength. That, is one of them. Tried to cover it up by saying that Nathaniel had an aura, but once again that was me attempting to feed you bullshit {something I do quite frequently}. Also, someone brought up Mr. Reginald taking down Nathaniel. That will not happen, because I attempted to imply that that sort of thing has happened before. A rich family and a spoiled son will often feel as though no law can touch them. Finally, 50 followers and 30 favorites! Now that I've made you aware of my love of cliches and bullshit, let's see what I get called out on for this chapter.**

He tossed away another one of his cigars, and sighed. It might be time to run a provisions run very soon, which was something that was very easy to do. He never understood why criminals sought out money. It wasn't as if he could rob a bank, and then turn around and purchase a pack of cigars for himself the next day. No, he sought out the ever so practical dust. Dust was influence, power, energy, and the best form of currency available.

He decided to check up on his messages, and noticed several that seemed out of place. They all referred to people that he had specific watches on. And they all were going about the same thing.

_The Legend of Grimm. _The only words consistent with every statement. _That silly tale, _he thought. _The ones that parents told their kids to get them to go to sleep at night. What would these mighty hunters want with this bedtime story?_

_Vale Library_

He gently closed another book. Something was very wrong here. All of the stories he had read lead to the same conclusion, but that seemed wrong. A fairy tale very rarely had the same ending across every iteration that had existed. It was something that he had noticed early on, and now he had checked up on it. Here he was, 10 iterations later, and the endings were always consistent. There was only one thing that ever had faithful retellings across every iteration, and that was fact. Perhaps his colleague had noticed something similar. Though, his colleague was worrying about his daughter and girlfriend at that point in time. It was probably up to him at that point.

_Qrow's Home_

Blake woke up, and looked up at her partner. Both of them were fully clothed {something that was becoming slightly more infrequent for them}, but that didn't prevent Blake from curling up as much as possible with her partner. One other thing that had carried over from cats to Blake, was her incredible desire to wake people prior to them actually wanting to.

"Yaaang," she purred softly. "Yaaaang, wake up."

"Mmmmm," Yang groaned.

"Come on Yang," Blake purred again. "Please wake up."

"No," Yang said, trying to bring her head away from her partner.

"I'm not wearing any pants." Yang lifted up one eye, looked down, and then closed them again.

"Don't lie to me," Yang grumbled. Blake smiled at her attempt, but knew exactly what would wake her up. She carefully walked downstairs, and saw Qrow up in the kitchen. Several books were in front of him, intriguing Blake.

"Hello Ms. Belladonna," Qrow said, without even taking a moment to look up. "You are up early often, correct?" Blake nodded, and then he took a glance up. "My daughter is sleeping?" Blake nodded again. Despite the fact that he wasn't looking, he could tell every time Blake nodded.

"But I'm going to make her some coffee," Blake said. "See if the smell will get her lazy ass up." Qrow allowed himself a smile, and he quickly stepped aside. Blake walked in, and tried to steal a glance at the books he had opened.

"Nothing that would interest you, Ms. Belladonna," Qrow said immediately. "It is something that I'm sure you will see soon enough." Blake nodded, really unsure of exactly what he was talking about. All of the books had their bindings pointed elsewhere, not allowing her to read their titles. No matter, her only priority was to get her girlfriend awake. What was the point of being here if Yang was still asleep.

Upstairs, Yang was slowly waking up. The smell of the coffee boiling was enough to encourage her to wake up. She got up, and briefly looked down. Yang had several clothing options. One of which, she had decided to do as apposed to actually putting on clothes. It consisted of underwear and some over sized shirt that some guy had left with her. She stood up, and stretched out. She started to walk downstairs, not caring as to who saw what.

She slid down the side of the stairs, causing Qrow and Blake to look over to the stairs.

"Hello Yang," Qrow said dryly. "I see you decided to avoid dressing in full clothing in front of your father."

"You saw me naked right off the bat," Yang said, jumping onto a chair.

"Yes, you were far more adorable and much less prone to sex." Qrow shot an accusatory glare at Blake, forcing her to raise up her hands. "At the very least, put on some pants."

"Nahh," Yang remarked. "Blake doesn't mind, does she?" Blake shook her head, a smile showing plainly on her face.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've seen my daughter in much less, would it?" Qrow asked, his eyebrow raised as a question. Blake just stared him down, incredibly unsure of how to react. "That's what I thought." Yang slugged her father in the arm. Blake just grabbed Yang's cup of coffee, and slid it over to Yang.

"What'ya reading about?" Yang asked.

"Work," Qrow replied boredly. Yang lost all interest immediately, but Blake still wished to pursue it.

"Anything good?" She asked. Qrow knew of the girl's love of books, so the question didn't seem to suspicious. That being said, Blake was a trained assassin and a cat Faunus. No comment should be taken as an underhand question.

"Nothing to interest you," he replied calmly. "All of it is things for an upcoming seminar for Signal. If I'm not mistaken, you girls might get a similar seminar." Blake and Yang were both very interested, and now Yang took a swipe at the book. Before her hand even reached it, her arm froze, and was pushed back at her. "Do not try to swipe anything from me," Qrow said calmly.

"What the hell?" Blake asked.

"My semblance, Ms. Belladonna. I can control any object if my aura is strong enough. Thus, the reason I've never been robbed."

"Good to know for the future," Yang said calmly, kicking her feet up on the counter. Qrow pushed them off with his mind, and sighed.

"Yes, Yang, you are indeed a female, no need to remind us," Qrow said calmly. Yang shrugged, and took a large sip from her coffee. "So, anything planned for right now?"

"I was gonna ask you to make breakfast," Yang said, taking another swig from her coffee. "I'll put on pants." Qrow sighed, and pulled out a packet of bacon, sausage, eggs, and hot sauce. "Love you."

"The charm is wearing off," Qrow said, pointing upstairs. Yang smiled, and started to run up their. "Have fun putting up with her shit for the next three years," Qrow said. "I've been doing it for 18 and it still isn't easier."

"You get used to it," Blake said with a smile. "Plus, she seems much more comfortable with you then me."

"That's because-." Qrow stopped mid-sentence. "Never mind, I'm going to steer clear of that joke." Blake smiled, understanding his meaning. They heard Yang come sliding back down, and saw that she was dressed in her normal hot pants. "That'll work for me," Qrow said smiling.

"Don't see what the big deal was," Yang grumbled. "These cover up as much as my underwear."

"No, they cover up more. That's why these are called hot pants, and those are called underwear." Yang opened up her mouth, but Qrow closed it quickly. "Whatever you are about to say, I'd rather not hear. I am still your father." Yang nodded, and just listened to beautiful sound of cooking bacon and sausage, and inhaled the even better smell of the two foods frying.

Blake just observed her girlfriend and Qrow's banter. Perhaps one of the strangest father/daughter relationships that Blake had ever witnessed. They were comfortably with each other, almost too much so. Yang and Qrow were pretty much discussing sex with each other, and had no qualms about it. The most bizarre thing that Blake had ever witnessed, she had the pleasure of watching take place every day of the week. That was, until she returned to school. Then it would be her and Yang attempting to get rid of Ruby and Weiss as much as possible.

At the same time that Blake was wondering about her young leader and her partner, they entered into Yang's mind. She vaguely remembered getting an odd message from Ruby last night {though her attention was elsewhere}. It said something about a potential trial and a sour dust deal. Either way, Yang had thought about her sister a lot since she had last seen her. Her worry almost never stopped for Ruby, especially when she wasn't there to do anything about it. Weiss had already proven how much she cared for Ruby, thus meaning that her threats never extended to anything beyond the playful extent.

Yang was glad that Ruby had waited this long to start dating. She didn't know if she could take it if her sister had taken her road. Wild, party crazy, more then her fair share of one night stands. Knowing that her sister had picked someone she deeply cared for, and settled in with her.

"Breakfast is done," Qrow announced. He slid over the plates to Blake and Yang, and then slid the hot sauce to Yang. Yang gratefully dumped it over her eggs, and then dove into eating it. Blake carefully looked over her food, and then decided to just eat them without worrying about the sufficient lack of fish.

Qrow dumped his books into his bag, and looked over at his daughter and her girlfriend.

"Well then," he said. "I'm heading back to return these books. They revealed exactly what I had hoped for. If I may make a request, can you try and avoid having sex until after breakfast?"

"Sure thing Dad," Yang said, her mouth full of sausage, bacon, eggs, and hot sauce.

"Daddy's little girl," Qrow sighed. He picked up his bag, and waved goodbye.

As soon as the door closed, Yang gave Blake a pleading look.

"No," Blake said, taking another bite of her food.

"Aw, you don't know what I'm asking," Yang tried.

"Yes, you were going to ask if you could change back into your underwear, thus leading to other things." Yang stopped mid-chew, realizing that was exactly what she wanted to do. "At least be courteous enough to let me finish breakfast." Yang smiled at her partner, slightly curious as to where her quiet cat Faunus girlfriend had gotten her sex lust from.

Blake was actually thinking in ratios. Now, Qrow would disappear for an hour at a time {which was more then enough time for them to finish} and then show up again. Ruby and Weiss were gone completely, which was not a luxury that she would be able to have when they returned. At that point, Blake figured that she would have to squeeze in as much as possible.

And that was exactly what she intended to do.

**End: The relationship between Yang and Qrow is a cliche in my books, cause I go through that every day with my sister and father {- the sex}. So came up with this idea last night. I have 2 stories that are in neutral/discontinued that I think I can give new life. The Order, centering around the Black Knight {OC} and then Child of Grimm {OC again}. That being said, I find a wildly unexplored character plot very intriguing to center a new story around. The Malachite Twins are not really used a whole lot, so what happens if someone attempts to pursue them? Three options, I will start immediately on the one with the most votes. Vote using reviews {easier to keep track if it's all in one place}, and I'll do whatever receives the most votes after the next 3 chapters. Preferred voting words, Malachite, Order, and Grimm. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, votes, and feedback is appreciated.**


	22. Kiss and Tell

A Harsh Reality Ch. 22: Kiss and Tell

**So I finally managed to get Child of Grimm back on it's feet, which makes me incredibly pleased. In the same sentence, my poll is a little screwy now. I didn't want to start on this chapter until Legend to Pursue came up. So naturally, I kill time by spending an agonizing amount of time figuring out the easiest way to get CoG back up while pushing everyone non-important to the plotline. Why is this important? I'd rather not have two stories that are required to follow along the same plotline going on at the same time. So {even though it's the only one to receive votes} I'm removing it from the poll. Malachite Twins or Black Knight? I have gotten one thing saying to not write a new story, but I do this all the time. It won't affect the quality of this story, given that I have an incredible ability to focus my attention in one of two directions easily. So there's some poll info, but since 90% of you don't give a shit, here's the chapter.**

Ruby slammed her head down on the desk, and groaned. Weiss continued to circle her, trying to get her point across.

"It's best to prepare your statement," she said impatiently. "Make sure it's the truth, but this way you won't hesitate."

"Weeeeiiisssss," Ruby groaned, her face staying in a lock with the desk. "It's only a little bit away. Do I really have to do this."

"Yes," Weiss replied. "Now, what are you going to tell the court."

"Don't they make you tell the truth or something?"

"There's an oath, yes. But either way, you should really prepare your story." Ruby groaned again. It wasn't like she planned to lie. Ruby very rarely lied, which made her sister attempting to get away with something very difficult. The idea of going to court worried Ruby about as much as a battle with Grimm, making it fairly easy for her head to get in the right spot.

Weiss, on the other hand, was nervous. Her girlfriend was going up against a dust company, which was not a favorable battle. Ruby had a strong reputation, one that followed her everywhere. But a dust company was a whole other story. Ruby wouldn't stand a chance if the Schnee's weren't backing her cause. People like Nathaniel Reginald didn't believe the law applied to them. Unfortunately, the power that they possessed allowed for things like that seem true. Luckily for her, her father was not exactly a forgiving man when it came to the law. He taught Weiss to always follow the law, and told her that if she were to break it he would not support her. He didn't know of any of the underage drinking that she had done, but some things don't really hurt him if he doesn't know.

Now, her girlfriend was going to court for something that was directly related to something that the Schnee's had hosted. Weiss felt awful, worried, and above all else, guilty. If she hadn't let Ruby go out in the garden, she would of have been fine. But Ruby needed to get out, that much was clear to Weiss. She was still concerned. Just because the Schnee's dwarfed the Reginald's in the battle of power, they would get a fair trail and nothing more. Ruby had to be prepared. At the very least it would all be over soon. Her father was successful in pushing the trial to the very next day.

"I''m ready," Ruby said, standing up and tucking away Crescent Rose.

"Have you prepared your statement?" Weiss asked.

"No," Ruby said quietly. "But I'm fine, and we have to get going." Weiss chided herself for allowing Ruby to stall for long enough to get to that point. "Come on," Ruby said cheerfully. She ran off to get to the limo before Weiss could stop her. Weiss just watched her leave, wondering why it was that she had agreed to date this infuriating girl.

_Qrow's Home_

Qrow took one last bite of his food, and turned the last page in his book. He checked his watch, and sighed. He was semi-familiar with Mr. Schnee, so he was fortunate to receive the notification about the court. He looked over at Blake and Yang, and raised his eyebrow.

"What did I do?" Yang asked dejectedly.

"Nothing," Qrow replied calmly. "We have a date in court." Now Yang was really panicked. Had he found out about-. "Your sister is a witness to an attempted crime." Oh phew. He still didn't know about-.

"Wait!" Yang said, sparks beginning to appear around her. "Ruby is a witness to what?"

"A crime," Qrow restated. "From what I can gather, Nathaniel Reginald attempted to rape her." Flames burst out around Yang, and she grabbed her helmet. She was dressed back in her normal attire, which meant that there would be no need for her to take the time to get ready.

"Yang," Blake called out, trying to grab her partner's arm.

"I hope they let him walk," Yang said angrily. "I sincerely hope they do." The door closed as she got to it, and then locked shut.

"I should of have assumed you didn't know," Qrow said passively. "Yang, calm down."

"Not until he's dead," Yang said, raising her fist to break down the door.

"Yang, for someone like him death isn't the best option. It would be a much crueler punishment to let him live the rest of his life poor, with nothing." Qrow and Yang shared a desire for revenge. But Yang was more impulsive, just as her mother was. Qrow took an approach similar to his sister and father. He thought through his plans, and picked the one that seemed to be the best fit for the person he was dealing with. Perhaps if he had committed the act, Qrow would be more then willing to let his daughter kill him. But that would only land Yang in jail.

"Fine," Yang snapped. "But if he walks, I break his legs."

"And I'll hold him down," Qrow said with a smile. He almost hoped that Nathaniel would walk free.

_Vale Courthouse_

The Schnee limo pulled up, and Ruby noticed the massive swarm of paparazzi waiting for them just outside. She cowered slightly away from the window, and looked pleadingly at Weiss and her family. Mr. and Mrs. Schnee decided to accompany them since the event did take place on their property.

"That's a lot of press," Ruby said in a small voice.

"Do not worry Ms. Rose," Mr. Schnee said calmly. "The cameras will be focused around my family, not yourself. I will exit first, then my wife. They should be distracted enough for you and Weiss to slip inside relatively unnoticed." Ruby nodded, grateful that he was volunteering to take the media hit.

Mr. Schnee opened up the door, and walked straight at the crowd of media. He began to answer every question that was asked, even though some of them were pretty easy to figure out. Mrs. Schnee went in next, absorbing those that were left uninterested by Mr. Schnee. Weiss gently nudged Ruby, and pointed at the front. Ruby nodded, and used her semblance to get to the door before anyone else got a chance to hunt her down. Weiss sighed, and slipped in a little more subtly.

The two girls walked inside, and noticed that there were a few people waiting on them.

"Ruby!" Yang said ecstatically. She ran over, and wrapped her sister in a large hug. "I heard what happened."

"You should of," Ruby said. "I sent you a message." Yang paused, remembering what exactly she had been doing at the time she had heard her scroll go off.

"I'm so happy you're okay," Yang covered up.

"Ahem," Qrow said. "I believe that I have some thanking to do." Yang moved aside, and tossed Ruby into Qrow's arm. He wrapped her up in a hug, and gently pat her hair. "What exactly happened?" He asked. Qrow was always very curious of the details of the situation.

"I-," Ruby started. "I think you should wait until court." Qrow nodded, and looked back at the front.

"And the other Schnee's?"

"Taking the media," Weiss explained. "Something that they've done for a while."

"I knew that I had a reason to like him," Qrow mumbled. "And no questions?" Ruby shook her head. "Excellent. This one should be relatively straight forward. You'll get called up, then Weiss, then Mr. Schnee. I have attended several court processes before, and you can't shoot for a criminal offense. We're aiming civil lawsuits, and the chance to force them to sell their company. One from myself, Yang, Weiss, and the Schnee's should be suitable."

"Why don't I get one?" Ruby asked.

"Because you are not of legal age yet," Qrow explained. "Now, the prosecutor should arrive soon. You're the key witness. Weiss, how much did you see."

"A decent amount," Weiss explained. "I didn't really hear anything though."

"That's disappointing," Qrow mumbled.

He went to speak again, but was interrupted by the prosecutor approaching them.

"Hello," he began. "I am aware that you were expecting a trial, but the judge took one look and said that there is no way a criminal will stand. That being said, the judge has already cleared access for a civil lawsuit. Congratulations, the Reginald's will be bankrupt before you know it."

"That's it?" Yang asked. "All the countless hours of crime drama I've watched, and that's it?"

"This is highly unusual," the prosecutor admitted. "A judge is allowed a first look at the case, and they can rule whether or not to continue. This exact circumstance may not happen too frequently, but you are with a Schnee." He nodded over to Weiss. "If the Schnee's need an issue taken care of, the judges are generally more then willing to get rid of it quickly."

"Not surprising," Qrow mumbled. "As much as people with your job hate to admit it, big dust company cases are rather messy to deal with."

"In this day and age, you're correct. Media makes issues with high priced names a nightmare to deal with, and all those involved with said issue are in the line of fire. Quicker we can get this out of the way, the better." He nudged Ruby slightly, and smiled at her. "I believe you, for what it's worth. No way the Ruby Rose would lie about something this serious." He turned around, and went back to his office.

"The Ruby Rose, huh?" Yang asked. "My baby sis is famous."

"Shut up," Ruby grumbled. "Now what?"

"I guess we go home," Weiss replied. "But, what home?" Ruby tilted her head, not understanding what her partner was saying. "We can start funneling back to Beacon," Weiss explained. "After getting shot and almost raped at my home, how about we go somewhere else?" Ruby just stared at the heiress, shock lining every crease on her face.

"Sure," Ruby said. "Oh, I can't wait to get back."

"Me neither," Blake added in, a smile on her face. "I want to head back to Beacon as well."

"Really?" Yang asked. Blake let out a sly grin, reminding her girlfriend that she would always be the one to surprise. Besides, Blake's plan had always been to return to Beacon. Whether or not Yang would join her, boiled down to chance.

Yang looked back at her father, and shrugged.

"Oh go with your friends," he said. "I'll get you for a summer. Besides, perhaps you and Blake will be less 'active' with Ruby present." Yang looked back at her sister, and realized just how accurate.

"Oh great," Weiss grumbled.

"What?" Ruby asked, placing her arm on Weiss' shoulder.

"I just realized that I have to tell my father about this."

**End: So, counted up the numbers since votes came in after I started. Child of Grimm origins will finish out at 3 votes, and then Malachite Twins take sole possession of first with 3 votes as well. 0 votes for the Black Knight, but that's fine. reminder, Child of Grimm is back up so no more voting for Derek's time at Signal. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, votes, and feedback is appreciated {next chapter is the last one for polling}.**


	23. A Fairy Tale

A Harsh Reality Ch. 23: A Fairy Tale

**So decided to do this prior to the next CoG cause I'm excited about this chapter. Current voting tallies {remember, only between Malachite and Black Knight}. Malachite: 3, Black Knight: 1. This will be the last AHR chapter to include an option of voting, and I will close it when I return from my little trip tomorrow {Time: Not Determined}. I like doing this poll stuff, so poll who wants more of it {not an actual poll}.**

Team RWBY all collapsed, and puffed heavily. It was their third day back in classes, which meant third day back in reality, which meant utter hell. They had finished up a rough sparring class with team JNPR. Yang had narrowly scored a win against the swing happy Nora, Blake had managed to eek out a win against the collected Ren, Weiss had just survived her dual with Pyrrha and Ruby was the only one to score a somewhat decisive win against Jaune. Either way, they were all exhausted. And something that made all of their minds hurt, was the knowledge that their first Grimm Studies class was soon. None of them had any reason to look forward to their first Grimm Studies, but it was something that had to be done.

"Okay team," Ruby said, trying to sound upbeat. "Time for Grimm studies." Everyone groaned loudly. Not even time for a shower.

_Grimm Studies_

Team RWBY dragged themselves into the room in a similar manner that everyone else did. Port seemed uninterested in the events taking place around him. He was obviously more preoccupied with something that was at his desk. The bell rang, shocking him back to reality.

"Oh, ahem," Port began, clearing his throat loudly. "Welcome back to Grimm studies, class. It seems as though there was an... unexpected change of where this course would be focused. To start the year, I am covering a topic of great interest to myself." The class let out a collective groan. 'Of great interest to myself,' basically equated into a story. "Yes, I am aware that all of you are expecting some grand tale about my heroics for this, but that would be only partially true. You see, this subject is not only of great interest to myself, but to our dear Professor Ozpin as well." Now the class was interested. That name was almost never used in class, unless the reasons were something of great importance.

"Oh, now I have your interest," Port boomed. "Wonderful. The name of this tale should ring familiar in all of your ears, but this time you must pay attention. This, is the Legend of Grimm." Weiss' hand instinctively shot up, anger already lining her face. "Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

"My apologies, Professor," Weiss began. "But isn't that a fairy tale that _all _of us are familiar with."

"Tell me Ms. Schnee, but has it ever been proven to be strictly a fairy tale?"

"Well, no. But-."

"And do you remember the specifics of the legend?" Weiss now stopped. He had her beat, again. "Now, does anyone remember the specifics of this tale?" Blake and Ruby both looked at each other, then back at Professor Port. They raised their hands in perfect synchronization. "Of course you two do. Would either of you mind beginning the tale?" Ruby gestured for Blake to begin, and the Faunus took a deep breath in.

"When man first came to be, they were locked in a struggle with the Creatures of Grimm," Blake began. "It was first believed that the Grimm acted upon their own will, their own desires. That was later proven to be false. Their was a force, neither man nor beast, known simply as Grimm. It drove all of the Grimm to act upon their desires. It saw man as a threat to their reign as the strongest on Remnant, and chose to end it."

"Wonderful!" Port boomed. "Absolutely marvelous, all of it correct. Ms. Rose, would you mind continuing on with this tale?"

"It sent all of the Grimm after man," Ruby continued. "It almost won, but then we discovered dust. Dust drove us to overpower the creatures of Grimm, and then we sought out Grimm itself. It disappeared though. No one, and nothing was ever seen of Grimm again. But this is just a kids fairy tale. Why are you having us go over it?"

"Aha!" Port boomed, swinging around his hand at Ruby. "That is the question I was hoping you would ask that question. How many of you are aware of the Grimm Theory?" Now it was Weiss' turn to raise her hand.

"Now I look like the dunce," Yang grumbled. "Only good for punching stuff."

"The Grimm Theory," Weiss continued, ignoring her teammate's grumbling. "Is that Grimm is a real thing. It vanished to conceal itself, recognizing that the presence of man was too powerful. It would wait for a time when man's strength was weakened before it came back. This time, it would come with more Grimm. But there has never been any scientific evidence to back this outlandish claim-."

"Oh, Ms. Schnee, you were doing so well," Port boomed sadly. He was one of the only people that could boom in a sad tone of voice. "Tell me, what is the most recent Grimm discovered?"

"That is obviously the Teriphile," Weiss said. "The subterranean worm like thing, but that is believed to of have existed before that."

"When exactly is that?"

"Ten years ago, but-."

"And when did the weakening of man begin?" Now Weiss had to hesitate. She saw his angle, and saw the answer.

"It was 15 years ago," she said quietly.

"How many more Grimm were discovered since then?"

"I think it's..." Weiss paused. This was the one she didn't know the answer too right off the bat.

"It was 127, Ms. Schnee," Port finished or her. "Prior to that, it never reached that amount. Those that believe the Legend of Grimm believe that it's coming close to a point in time in which such a force would return." The bell rang, and Port smiled. "And that is the end of this class. I want a one page essay about the Legend of Grimm by the end of the week." Everyone picked up their books, and exited the room.

He took his chance to step out from the corner of the room.

"No other details?" He asked.

"The students will find the other details in due time," Port replied. "If I were to reveal the research that you discovered, what fun would it be?"

_Unknown Location_

He checked over the footage from the class. Once again, the Legend of Grimm was brought up. As a business man, this move made no sense. He decided to follow through with the strange sightings of the Legend of Grimm myth in their possession. Now that he knew what he did, perhaps his superior would be interested.

_Beacon Cafeteria_

Team RWBY and team JNPR talked furiously with each other. Some of it was about their class, most of it was about the inhumanity of having a class immediately after sparring.

"I couldn't even shower," Yang cried out, through a mouthful of burrito. "I mean, do you know what happens to this hair when you don't shower?"

"It gets bigger," Blake added in. Up to that point, neither her nor Ren added in anything to the conversation.

"Shut up Blake," Yang replied, caught up in her angry rant. Blake titled her head.

"Guess who's sleeping alone tonight," Blake teased casually. Yang's facial expression changed to a grin.

"Guess who gets their kitty litter privileges revoked?" Yang teased back.

"You two make no sense," Jaune replied.

"Not supposed too," Yang replied. "But either way, a physically demanding class right before a mentally demanding class is awful. Pick one or the other."

"I'm with you," Pyrrha replied. "I'm still sore from our fight." She nodded in Weiss' direction, who just groaned.

"You could of have let me use less glyphs," Weiss grumbled. "By actually letting me use my sword."

"Not my style," Pyrrha replied with a smile. Something occurred to her, something that she wanted to ask. "How has that whole Reginald thing resolve."

"Bankrupt this morning," Ruby said happily. "Turns out there were quite the few conduct errors in their formalities."

"Little pricks deserved it," Weiss grumbled.

"You're pretty happy," Nora observed. "Huh?"

"Asshole tried to rape my girlfriend," Weiss said angrily. "Not to mention that he stole some of our alcohol! Plus he knew that she's gay!"

"Only one person gets to _think _about laying a hand on my sister!" Yang said furiously. "And that's Weiss!"

"Thanks Y-."

"But only think." Weiss nodded, the mood temporarily broken by Yang's dig.

"I should of mentioned not to bring it up," Ruby said in a small voice. "They get pretty heated."

"No, she gets heated," Weiss said, pointing at Yang. "I get cold."

"That's not funny," Nora said sadly.

"It's not supposed to be." Everyone took an awkward sip of water, until Pyrrha came up with a good conversational changing topic.

"So what do you think about the paper?" She asked them.

"A nice softy," Yang said gratefully. "Finally."

"I think it's absurd," Weiss cried out. "I mean, it's a fairy tale."

"Get a clue Weiss," Blake said. "Port's life is a fairy tale."

"Fair enough, but either way, it's still ridiculous to do a research paper about a myth."

"But he gave us some reasons to follow up on it," Ruby tried. "At least we can make some connection through that. Bluff him a little bit." Weiss just shook her head, and then continued to eat.

Soon, Yang and Blake finished up their food. They figured that they had about 30 minutes without their teammates if they got the room right away, more if either of them brought up shopping. One of the few things that Ruby and Weiss ever seemed to bond over, and it was something that was probably one of the most opinionated things possible.

"We're headed up," Yang said. "See you guys in a bit." Yang grabbed Blake's arm, and started to lead her. "Be a little quieter," she whispered into Blake's ear. Blake grinned, and placed her head on Yang's shoulder.

Everyone else just watched them leave, and turned back to eating. Nora talked a lot, but no one else seemed to want to add in. That encouraged Ruby and Weiss to finish eating sooner.

"Well, now we're going up," Weiss said. "See you guys around." Jaune flashed a _don't leave me, _look, but neither Weiss nor Ruby were willing to take the Nora bullet.

"Bye," Ruby said. "We'll see you soon."

Weiss lead her partner to their dorm, but something stopped her. Was that what she thought it was?

"Do you hear that?" Ruby asked. Weiss nodded, and signaled for her partner to keep quiet. There it was again. Only, it was coming from their dorm.

"Let's go!" Weiss said, panic lining her voice. She grabbed Ruby's hood, and started to pull the girl away.

"Wait, where?!" Ruby cried out.

"I think Yang and Blake might be busy, so anywhere else."

_Ancient Ruins_

It was stirring. It could tell that the time in which man was weak was coming to a point where it could test out some of it's creations. Only, not just the ones that they hadn't seen. Those that they had seen would suffice. But how would they handle a bit of extra bulk?

**End: DUN DUN DUUUN! So, no new tally numbers. You have tonight to vote. If you voted for the CoG Signal story, then you are allowed to vote again. If you voted with your main account, then you can use a guest account if you care that much {which no one does}. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, Malachite, Black Knight, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	24. A Grimm Warning

A Harsh Reality Ch. 24: A Grimm Warning

**BOOM! VOTING'S CLOSED! Final results are: Malachite Twins: 4, Black Knight: 4. O_o. So, here's what I'm going to do. This chapter is started a bit later in the day, but I'm going to extend the voting to tomorrow when I wake up. So can some odd number of people vote, please?{I do not have a personal preference}. Someone also expressed concern for me doing three stories simultaneously, the concern stemming from me not being able to deliver quality. ****I actually have done that once {maybe twice?} before. ****If I had my way, I would separate my brain into six different pieces of me so that I could do the 5 stories that I would like to do. Sadly, that is a flaw of man. I constantly have 5 plots in my mind, and I deeply wish to execute 5 of them {the two you're voting on, this story, CoG, JWLS, and a plot that shall remain nameless for now} at some point in time. For now, I shall commit myself to three and bring back JWLS before volume two comes back, cause there's some shit I gotta take care of for those guys {and girl}. Anyways, sorry for the lengthy A/N's as of late. I just want to get this out there so I have it on written record. But now, back to my story.**

He entered into the room, his cigar having only just gone out. He thought about lighting another, but the odds that he wouldn't be yelled at with his proposition were already very slim. He looked around, and picked out his direct superiors. He silently strutted forward, and waited for them to notice him. Their talks continued on, seemingly not wanting to pay attention to him.

"This better be important," the woman in red finally said. "For you to come up to us now."

"Don't worry, I can promise that this will interest you," he replied confidently. _I cannot promise that this won't convince you to fire me, _he thought. _If my plan is correct, I will have the proof I need soon enough._

"Spit it out," the man ordered.

"Beacon and Signal Academy staff have both taken an interest to the Legend of Grimm," he said confidently. "The headmasters have both checked out several different iterations of the book. Now, each school have added in a seminar on the topic."

"And why should this concern us?" The woman with silver hair asked.

"Know thy enemy," the woman in red responded. "But this information, it intrigues our _logical _business man much more." She strode forward, and placed her hand on his shoulder. He could feel the heat that it was radiating, a warning that anything that he would say that displeased her would result in dire consequences. "Why is that?" He hesitated. The knowledge of their powers frightened him.

"Well," he started. "If Ozpin _and _Qrow are both concerned about this, maybe there is something more to the Grimm Theory." He closed his eyes, and waited for the burn. When it didn't come, he saw his superior's curious gaze.

"Now, now, now this is so unlike you Roman," she remarked. "Tell me more about this, 'theory,' of yours."

"Well," he began, now feeling confident in himself. "There are a few points of fact, and that another that I believe might manifest itself soon."

_Elsewhere_

It lingered around the place of attack. Now was the time to make a warning against man. Now was the time to make it's presence known. Know against that horrid dust. The thing that man had to use to compensate for it's pathetic waste of space. The largest gathering of dust within the range that it could form. From it's fifteen years of learning as much as it could about the new man, this place would be more then suiting. A large Grimm started to loom near it, forcing the presence to give out a happy sensation. The Grimm shuddered in excitement, and started to burrow it's way under ground.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Ruby tore out another piece of paper, and threw it at the garbage can. It went right in, forcing Yang to run over to her sister and give her a big high five.

"You two are so strange to me," Weiss said from her bunk. "Why you take so much pleasure in things like throwing a crumpled ball of paper into a garbage can, is truly beyond me."

"I bet you're saying that because you can't do it," Yang challenged. Weiss looked over at Yang, and just went back to her book. _This is not worth my time, _she thought. "Tell you what," Yang began. "If you make it, on your first shot, I will give you permission to kiss my sister in front of me." Weiss lifted up her head, interested that this meant so much to Yang that she would wager that. "If you don't, no dates for a month between you and Ruby."

"Yang-," Ruby started.

"Deal!" Weiss agreed immediately. She hadn't informed Yang or Ruby, but hand eye coordination was something that her father worked heavily on with her. The prospect of making a shot from a few feet away was actually something that was very easy for her to do. The prospect of torturing her girlfriend's over protective sister was more then enough sentiment for her to agree to this.

Yang tossed over a crumpled up ball of paper, and Weiss looked over at the garbage can. She took aim, and then took a deep breath in. She could feel Yang's face within a few inches of her, staring directly at her. Nothing would distract her from this. Normally, Weiss wouldn't partake in such childish affairs. This was very un-heiress like for her. _Shows how much I love Ruby, _she thought. Now she mentally bit her tongue. _That word is not to be used lightly. _

Blake watched the whole thing take place, amusement plainly lining her face. Before she had started to date Ruby, it was always Weiss and Blake watching the two sisters make a fool of themselves. Since Weiss had started dating Ruby, she would slap on the golden boots and be the jester at any point in time to prove herself to Yang.

Her ear twitched slightly, noticing something that seemed amiss. Weiss lowered her arm, looking out the window.

"Pussying out?" Yang taunted. "Haha, I'll count that as a win for me."

"Quiet!" Weiss snapped. "Blake, you hearing this too?" Blake nodded, and walked over to the window. She looked outside, and tried to find what could be causing it. She noticed a slight crack in the ground, and focused in her stare. The crack got larger, and longer. Blake's eyes widened, and she ran to grab Gambol Shroud.

"What is it?" Yang asked. "Blake, where are you going?"

"Teriphile," she said briefly. Yang wasted no more time, and grabbed her gauntlets. Weiss and Ruby followed suit, and Yang leaned over to Weiss.

"This isn't over," she whispered.

"Count on it," Weiss whispered back.

_Outside of Beacon_

Unprepared teams were running from the growing cracks, trying to escape what they knew was coming. Other teams were running up, waiting for their chance to strike. Team RWBY joined up with them, looking over the ground. It was constantly shifting, multiple cracks surfacing at the same time. Ruby tried to find a solution to getting it out of the ground. If they didn't, it would probably eat out the supports from the school. She finally just pointed Crescent Rose just ahead of the crack, and fired off a round.

A roar was heard immediately, and the cracks disappeared. Team RWBY went all around each other, checking out for anything resurfacing. Nearby one of the teams, the ground was ripped to shreds. They were all crushed under the debris, leaving everyone else to view the horror. It was a large, black, worm, with razor sharp teeth. It had several smaller versions of the worm sprouting out it's sides, all of them trying to rip something else to pieces for their own meals. There was only one thing unusual about it. One of the largest Grimm they had ever seen was the very first Death Stalker they encountered at Beacon, and the Nevermore they had seen was massive as well. This was larger then both of those Grimm combined.

"What do we do?" Yang asked, panicked by the display of the Grimm.

"Weiss," Ruby began. "Hold it down." Weiss raised up a glyph underneath it's head, and kept it up so it couldn't escape. "Blake, take Yang up to the top and try to weaken it. I'll..." Ruby hesitated. How could she be helpful? "I'll protect the others." Blake nodded, and let Yang grab onto her waist.

"Not the first time I've-," Yang began.

"Not now," Blake replied, sounding deadly serious. She hooked the blade of Gambol Shroud onto a building, and pulled her and Yang forward. Ruby took aim, and fired off a round at one of the smaller worms. She succeeded in killing it, but then the whole worm turned around to face her.

"Oops," Ruby said. She started to take off, trying to keep it away from the injured students.

Weiss saw her partner running around, and cursed silently to herself. It was going to take everything in her energy reserves to keep up her glyph. Otherwise, she was going to have to keep Ruby alive. No matter the cost.

Blake landed on top of the worm, and let Yang drop off. She immediately open fired on the top of the worms head, trying to break through it. Nothing was working. Blake's sword, Yang's fist, the other students dust rounds. They need something more.

Ruby kept up her pace, trying to keep the Grimm away from everyone else. She absolutely had to keep it distracted, but she would have to kill it as well. _I could dive into it's mouth like in a movie, _Ruby thought. _But there's a reason that's only ever happened in movies. _

The Teriphile slammed one of it's worms into the ground, causing a huge crack to open up right in front of her. Ruby tripped up, and fell on her face. She turned over, and saw the large mouth looming. She started to run away, but one of the worms caught her in the stomach. _This is it, _she thought. She closed her eyes, and waited on the impact.

_Beacon Academy: Medical Bay: Four Hours Later_

"Ruby?" A fuzzy voice called out. "Ruby, are you waking up? Ruby!" The voice suddenly was filled with clarity, and Ruby saw her sisters smiling face looming over her. "You're okay!" She cried out. "Oh thank god!"

"What happened?" Ruby asked, feeling her stomach.

"You got some cracked ribs," Blake explained. "Otherwise, you're fine."

"No, I mean with the Teriphile."

"Oh," Yang said, flashing a 'why didn't you tell her that?' look at her girlfriend. "Ozpin and the staff showed up and took care of the Teriphile. You were lucky to get out alive." Ruby sighed gratefully, but then noticed the absence of her girlfriend.

"Where's Weiss?" Ruby asked. Yang pointed over to one of the hospital beds, and Ruby saw her girlfriend lying there.

"She took the brunt of the hit that the Teriphile was going to lay on you," she explained. "She'll live, but she's not faring well right now." Ruby tried to sit up, but found herself unable to. "Take it easy little sis. I promise, Weiss will be fine." Ruby silently made a promise to herself, learn more in the morning. Weiss had to be okay, right?

_Elsewhere_

So the first test was passed, but not before some heavy casualties. Perhaps man wasn't so pathetic after all. But only, perhaps.

**End: Apologies for the blunt ending, but this is where I had to end it. Answer the poll, questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	25. Aftershock

A Harsh Reality Ch. 25: Aftershock

**FINAL TALLIES {for realsies this time}. Malachite: 7, Black Knight: 5. Path to Redemption is up, and running. Give it a read if you wish to {or if you don't want to, read it anyways}. Also, did forget to address a question about Weiss' glyphs. I only view them as platforms cause I'm not that imaginative of a person. Nothing crazy on my mind about them. Also, someone got the golden boots/jester reference. I like to sneak in an AH/RT reference everywhere I can, but I don't want to blatantly state it {ala, I saw someone directly state the WWE2k14 LP in a story}. Anyways, here we go.**

Ruby kept her eyes on Weiss. She still hadn't woken up, concerning the girl. Yang and Blake were still hovering around her, the details starting to come out. Ozpin and the Beacon staff had apparently gotten rid of the Teriphile in much quicker fashion by getting a bundle of dust into it's mouth. The internal damage was enough to kill it, but not before they had lost several students. Ruby didn't personally know anyone that had lost their lives, but she still felt saddened by the losses.

She made up her mind a while ago about what exactly she would do for Weiss.

"Hey Yang," she said weakly. "Can you get me some water?" Yang smiled, and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Sure thing baby sis," she replied softly. Yang gestured for Blake to follow her, and they walked over to where the water resided. Ruby immediately pulled herself out of the bed, and bit her tongue to avoid calling out in pain. She could taste blood, but that didn't matter to her at that moment. She dragged herself to Weiss, and placed her hands on the girl's arms. She closed her eyes, and conjured up the mental image of her mother.

Roses started to dance within her hands, and change their shade from red to white. A full rose formed, and Ruby gently set it on Weiss' chest. _Please Mom, _she thought. _Do me a favor, make her feel better. _The rose began to give off a white glow, and it slowly broke apart over Weiss. The rose petals sunk into her, and Ruby just dragged herself over to her bed.

Weiss' eyes opened up just as Ruby got back in her bed. She sat up quickly, and looked around.

"Ruby?" She asked. "Why do I feel fine?"

"Weiss!" Ruby said excitedly. "You're okay!"

"Which brings me back to my question," Weiss said, annoyance layering her tone. "Why do I feel fine? I mean, I remember taking the hit from the Teriphile." She paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "The rose," she whispered. "You used up your aura on a rose, didn't you?" Ruby nodded, part of her hoping that Weiss wouldn't make the connection. "You foolish, adolescent, little red-."

"Weiss?" A confused voice asked. Ruby tilted her head to the side, and saw Yang and Blake with the water in hand. "Why are you sitting up and yelling at my sister?" Yang asked.

"Summer's gift," Weiss said angrily. "She used it on me instead of herself!"

"What?" Blake asked. She was the only one amongst the four of them that had no knowledge of what Summer's gift was. Hell, she didn't even know who Summer was.

"It was the last gift from my Mom," Ruby whispered, only just audible to the others. "Weiss still hadn't woken up, so I decided to speed up the process."

"But you still aren't at full strength!" Yang cried out. "You could of done as much damage to yourself as the Teriphile did!" Ruby sighed, and started to form up another rose.

"You would of done the same for Blake," Ruby said, trying to increase her volume. She finished up the rose, and let the petals sink into her. She stood up, and flexed around her newly repaired muscles. The Teriphile had damaged her core and arms, but thanks to her mom they were repaired.

"I must admit, I'm surprised it took you this long to accomplish that Ms. Rose," a voice came. RWBY all turned to face a very calm looking Ozpin. "Summer was a very protective person," he continued. "Something that appears to run in the family."

"Why are you here?" Blake asked, her hand resting on Gambol Shroud. She still hadn't quite reached a point of forgiveness with their headmaster. Nor had she reached a point where she believed that he knew nothing about Adam's involvement with that attack.

"To check on the wounded," he explained boredly. "Ms. Belladonna, we're going to have to get over this at some point in time. I knew nothing of Mr. Taurus' involvement. Please, may I focus on this?" Blake nodded, and her hand fell from the sword's hilt. "What exactly happened?" Yang looked over to Weiss, seeing as of how she was the one to go to the window.

"The ground started to break," Weiss began. "And then we went to the front lawn. It broke apart, and the Teriphile came. I don't know how it got to us completely unnoticed, but it did." She paused, and then looked down at her hands.

"That is the million dollar question," Ozpin sighed. "Thank you, Ms. Schnee. I wish all four of you well." He turned to leave, now left with one theory as to why the Teriphile was able to do what it did.

_Elsewhere_

The stirring continued. It's creation had, once again, only been destroyed by dust. Perhaps something else would be required to take down man. Something a little more elaborate, a little stronger, a little newer. It set to work fabricating it's idea, bringing it to life. Now was the time to attack again. Kick them while they're down, so to speak.

_Unknown Location_

He walked back over to his superior's, his face filled with excitement. The evidence that he had been waiting for, now brought to life. And brought to life in spectacular fashion as well. A Teriphile attack, on Beacon Academy. Oh, how perfect this was. They sought out to destroy the hunters, and perhaps this new opportunity would be the way to do so.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm: An Hour Later_

Ruby and Weiss had been released from the medical bay. Yang and Blake had decided to lead them into their dorm again, just get them home.

So far, Ruby had to reflect the last week. Amount of times she had been almost killed, two. Amount of attempted rapes, one. Amount of times her girlfriend had almost been killed, two. Amount of papers she had turned in late, one. It was just a rough week. Now, she just wanted everything to stay somewhat calm.

She poked her head down to Weiss, and looked over her.

"What?" Weiss asked, annoyance still thick on her voice.

"Can I join you?" Ruby asked quietly. Weiss sighed, and patted the spot next to her. Ruby swung herself down, and curled up with the heiress.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you," Weiss said softly, placing her arm around Ruby's head. "I was just mad that you put me above you."

"Why?" Ruby asked innocently. Weiss' heart melted at the tone that Ruby had used. It was that tone that you heard, and everything in your world suddenly became less important. Weiss hated that tone. Ruby, of course, didn't realize that her tone had done this to Weiss. She just saw the girl looking a little bit sadder. "Weiss?" She asked gently.

"Because I'd rather lose my life then yours," she whispered. Ruby went silent. How do you respond to this? Someone has told you that they value your life above your own. There is no proper way to respond. Anything romantic would seem false, and nothing at all would seem cruel. Ruby just curled up with Weiss even more, and rested her head on the heiress' chest.

Yang and Blake both watched the display. Neither of them could hear what was being said, but they could figure out the general idea of things. Yang had rejoined Blake on her bed, and placed her head on Blake's shoulder.

"I'm so glad I didn't lose either of them," Yang whispered. "I don't know if I could repair my sister from another major loss." Blake nodded, and started to pet Yang's wild mane.

"I'm glad too," Blake said softly. She didn't want to admit how much of an impact Ruby had made on her own life, beyond just Yang's affection. Even Weiss had become an integral part of her life. Blake went through her entire life with little to no blood relatives. Adam had become adopted family, but that ended poorly. Now, she had her team. All of them were the only family she had left.

Yang's heart had been brought to the brink of breaking several times within the past week. Her sister had been shot, almost raped, and most recently, almost killed by a Teriphile. Yang cared for nothing more then her sister. She made a big deal out of her and Weiss hooking up, but it was done out of concern and love. It was another case where the fact that they weren't biological sisters only made Yang more protective over the girl. She had already lost so much, that losing anything or anyone might break her to the point where she couldn't function. She's just too innocent.

But thinking of Yang's life without Ruby, was just too far for her to think of. Ruby had become everything to Yang. Something for her to protect, care for, love. No matter what either did, it always came back around to their bond. A bond forged from loss and blood. Losing Ruby, well no one would be able to comfort her from that. Luckily, all Yang was left to do was imagine it.

Despite the fact that Weiss was temporarily saddened by the events, one thing had stayed strong within her mind. She leaned into Ruby's ear, and whispered something. Ruby nodded, and gave her what she had asked for.

"Ohhh Yaaang," Weiss called out. Yang shot up, and looked over at Weiss.

"What do you need?" She asked, concern becoming the dominant tone.

"To make good on a promise," Weiss replied cryptically. Yang lowered her gaze, and saw that a crumpled piece of paper rested in it. Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's do this thing princess," Yang replied, the concern having been replaced by a challenging tone. Weiss looked over at the waste basket, and took aim. She breathed in deeply, and centered her focus. Either she would be going on a nice date with her girlfriend, or kissing privileges would be revoked. She calmly tossed it in the air, and watched it arc into the trash can.

"YES!" Weiss yelled out.

"DAMMIT!" Yang called out angrily.

"You owe us a date," Weiss said proudly. For good measure, she pulled Ruby into a deep kiss. Yang watched on with a smile. Weiss may still be the cold heiress they had known initially, but no one can resist Ruby's infectious heat.

_Elsewhere_

Another creation, almost complete. It had been so busy in the past year, that the idea of crafting the most powerful monster it could was draining. But even Grimm could leech off of the energy that dust could provide. Perhaps none of it's creations could use it, but at least it could remain alive with it. If only man wasn't foolish enough to realize where it was, and what it was doing.

_Fly my creation, _it's voice echoed. It had a deep, gruff, echoing sound with every word. _And show man exactly what I plan for the future._

**End: Haha Grimm is up and running now. I did see the Green Lantern movie {yes, the Ryan Renolds one} and that is actually where I got the inspiration for this Grimm character. That dark cloud thing that made no fucking sense in the movie, but I wanted to translate here. Also, someone did indeed make a cover for this story so HUUUUUUGE thank you to Areyoucrazee. Soon as image manager is up again, I will have a new story cover. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	26. No Rest for the Wicked

A Harsh Reality Ch. 26: No Rest for the Wicked

**So Path to Redemption is off to a kind of slow start, not too surprised because that's what always happens. Go give it a read if you're into that sort of stuff. Also, flaming-ninja remarked that I had Ruby wake Weiss up with a kiss. Haha, yeah, I'm that clever. No I'm not. Complete and total accident, and now I look a lot smarter then I am. Question about the Summer's gift, can it be stored and used for later purposes. Since it takes aura to keep up, yes, but at a cost. So going to try and get something else in that is accidentally smart, because there is very few other kinds of smart for me.**

It could tell that it's creations end goal was already well in sight. Another round for man would be sufficient for it's purposes. One more attack, and maybe then man would realize what was legend and what was true.

_Attack when you see fit, _it commanded. _Show them the burning truth of vengeance._

_Beacon Academy: Ozpin's Office_

He angrily threw down another profile, and just shook his head. Up to that point, all that his last several hours had been were filling out paperwork. Nothing was made of the fact that a Teriphile was able to breach the school's defenses, undetected. Something of that size shouldn't of have even existed,much less be able to sneak around. Something was off, and it might be up to him to figure it out. _Oh well, _Ozpin thought. _It's times like these that I remember why I was the only one to apply for this job._

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Yang watched as Weiss made a display of her holding Ruby close to her. Weiss was clearly gloating over her _one _made basket. Unfortunately, the prize happened to involve her younger sister. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked over to see that Blake was looking at her.

"You okay?" She asked. Yang nodded, trying to conceal her true feelings. "Are you sure?" Another nod. "Because, you're steaming right now."

"Am I really?" Yang realized. Blake nodded, a smile clearly plastered on her face.

"Weiss," Blake called out. "May I politely recommend that you stop kissing Ruby?"

"Why?" Weiss called back.

"Because Yang is plotting your murder right now," Blake added in.

"It's so much worse then that," Yang said in a low voice. Weiss nodded, and gestured for Ruby to get off of her. Ruby quickly complied, suddenly motivated by her sister's desire for revenge.

Yang had almost no issues with Weiss dating Ruby up to that point. Well, there was the fact that she had gotten Ruby shot. And then there was the almost rape that happened on her property as a direct result of an event that she had held. But Yang didn't really hold long term grudges. Plus, since Ruby was able to forgive Weiss so quickly, Yang had to push past it. But parading around her sister after winning an all expenses paid date was not something that she was going to tolerate lightly.

"Apologize," Ruby said, nudging Weiss gently.

"For what?" Weiss asked. "Showing public affection with my girlfriend?"

"Weeeeeeissssss," Ruby whined. "Pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssse." Weiss kept a cold stare for as long as possible. But underneath the pouting gaze of Ruby, that was almost impossible.

"Fine," Weiss broke. "Sorry Yang."

"It's fine," Yang said, breathing out the last of her anger. "Give up your date?"

"No, I won that fair and square."

"Dammit," Yang breathed. "I had to hope."

"So when are we doing that?" Ruby asked. "I mean, we have a few days since the school's going to be shut off."

"Anyone else see anything wrong with it?" Blake asked suddenly.

"What'ya mean Blakey?" Yang asked, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend.

"The whole attack," Blake continued. "Something that large, shouldn't even exist, much less sneak up completely unnoticed. Does anything about this seem strange to any of you?" All of them took a moment to think through the question, and Weiss was the first to formulate an answer.

"Sure it seems strange," Weiss said. "But Grimm have continued to evolve and grow larger. It shouldn't seem to surprising that one of this size surfaces. As far as how it went unnoticed, I guess that our security didn't cover underground." Blake nodded, but was still unconvinced. Her mind was a buzz, but she had to keep a down low. As was always the case.

"So how about tomorrow?" Weiss asked. "I think that I have a nice place picked out." Yang silently cursed under her breath, trying not to kill the heiress.

"Tomorrow sounds good," Ruby said, coming to her girlfriend's rescue. "Right?"

"Sure," Yang agreed. "Tomorrow sounds wonderful. What place?"

"How about the Burning Desire?" Weiss contributed, a smile written plainly on her face.

The Burning Desire is not a place Weiss would visit, unless she was trying too rub something in Yang's face. It was a small restaurant that was famous for attracting couples. It had a... Special room in the back. Of course, Ruby didn't know anything about that place. Nor would she, for that matter. Weiss had absolutely no plans of going back there. Hell, if it wasn't for Yang's previous talk of that place she wouldn't even know about it. But she felt confident that the name would strike a familiar chord with Yang.

"No," Yang said immediately. "No, no, no, and hell no! You are not taking my baby sister there!"

"Why?" Ruby asked innocently. "You said good things about the food."

"I said good things about-," Yang stopped. She had said good things about the food, but it was also relating directly to something else.

"I don't see an issue," Blake added in. "Being the only neutral party here, I say that you should go through with it."

"Blake," Yang said, horror written plainly on her face. "You're betraying me."

"No, I'm neutral. Ruby clearly is only aware of what _you directly _told her, and nothing more." Yang had to consider Blake's logic. She was 100% right. Yang had only told Ruby that the place had fantastic service, and great food. Her sister would be safe, for now.

"Fine," Yang sighed. "Just try and not run up the charges."

"Oh don't worry," Weiss said wickedly. "I-." She was cut off by a loud roar. The ground shook, and the flame erupted into a flurry of colors. All four of them ran over, and looked out the window. They could all feel their hearts drop down from their chests, to their stomachs.

Standing just outside of the school, was something they had never encountered. It was a large, black, scaled, Grimm. It wasn't a King Taijitu, that much they could tell. It walked on two legs, with a pair of arms to accompany it. It had an slightly elongated face, and a razor sharp row of teeth. It had the normal Grimm mask, with the markings and bones. It had a long pair of claws, and a tail, and wings. Worst of all, fire was billowing out of it's mouth.

"What the hell is that?" Yang asked. Out of everyone in the group, she knew the least about Grimm. She could only hope that Blake, or Weiss, or even Ruby could help her out.

"I don't know," Weiss said quietly. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's some kind of a dragon," Ruby added in. "A dragon Grimm. I don't think I've heard of anything like that. Blake?" The Faunus just shook her head, and looked down at the ground. "Let's go." Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose off of it's wall mount, and left a determined look in her eyes. This time, she wouldn't let the Grimm win.

_Beacon Front Lawn_

No one could see it, no one could hear it, but it was there. Within the mind of it's newly formed Taituo Dragon Grimm. Such a wonderful creation, something 15 years in the making. Yes, if man could defeat this then perhaps Grimm would finally accept that man could destroy any _one _of it's creations. But of course, it had so much more then one monster at it's disposal.

Team RWBY ran up to where the monster was, and skipped to a stop. This was one of the first times that they were left speechless. It stood well over the buildings, not really allowing for them to think of going over it. The flames prevented them from getting close. They could already identify the torched and ripped apart corpses of several of the other students.

Ruby raised up Crescent Rose, and fired off a shot. It hit, no reflected, off it's scales. The bullet angled well away from it, showing that it wasn't going to be effected by any of their ammo.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled out. "Get a glyph around it. Try and cover me."

"Cover you?" Weiss asked.

"Yang," Ruby continued, ignoring Weiss' comments for now. "Get some fire on it. You have explosive ammo, so you might be able to damage it. Blake, get ready to use myself as a chance to get under it's legs."

"What are you doing?" Yang asked. As apposed to using words, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. She got close by the Grimm, and open fired. It turned towards her, feeling nothing more then annoyed at the tiny woman firing upon it. It blew out a column of flames, but Ruby was gone by the time they reached her.

"Dammit Ruby," Weiss muttered. She raised up a glyph nearby the dragon, hoping to keep it's flames away from Ruby.

Yang fired off several rounds from Celica, hoping to maybe break through it's scales. What she didn't know, was that anything tied to fire wasn't effecting it's scales. It was born from flames, and fire couldn't hurt it. The actual explosions were doing some form of damage, but it wasn't enough to divert it's interest away from Ruby.

Blake danced through the occasional fire, trying to get some form of room to work her way to it's legs. At last, that opportunity presented itself. She ran forward, and switched around Shroud to it's ribbon. She threw it forward, and wrapped it around one leg. She started to make a run at it's other leg, but a large claw was swung forward. She couldn't shadow out of the way, nor did she really see too many opportunities to move away. _Bye Yang, _she thought sadly. _It's been a good run._

She closed her eyes in anticipation of the strike, but it never got there. She opened up her eyes, and saw a purple glyph in front of her. _Thank you Professor Goodwitch, _she thought quietly. She slid underneath the glyph, and wrapped around the other part of her ribbon to it's other leg. She pulled tight, and started to run towards Yang.

"CATCH!" She yelled out. Blake tossed forward the hilt of Gambol Shroud, and Yang caught it. Blake grabbed onto the ribbon, and started to pull. The ribbon was designed specifically not to break. It would be almost impossible for anything to break it.

Luckily, the weight of the Grimm wasn't quite that thing. It tried to take a step forward, but it just fell over. It continued to spew flames and swing it's claws, the only thing still protecting the students being the glyphs that Weiss and Goodwitch had left up. Ozpin timed a toss with it's pattern of flames. A small bundle of volatile dust landed right next to it's face, causing a massive explosion when it's next burst of flames was released.

Ruby regrouped with the rest of her team, exhaustion filling her body.

"What the hell was that?" She asked through her shaky breaths.

"A new Grimm," Ozpin said softly. "The first one discovered since the Teriphile. It appears that new Grimm are appearing every day. Once again, thank you for your assistance team RWBY. I understand that it's already late, and you're all probably exhausted. I will ask you more questions tomorrow. For now, get some rest." No one on team RWBY was willing to argue, and instead chose to retire to their dorms.

_Elsewhere_

It's connection had been cut off. The ability to control it's new creation had been lost, but it could still pick up what it's deceased body could hear. This, team RWBY. They might pose problems in the future. Maybe it should act upon these concerns now. No matter, either way it would be victorious. No one could ever withstand Grimm at it's full force. Man would fall, and everything it stood for would join it.

**End: So I'm going to say this now. Time has become pretty limited for me, so I might not be able to actually read FF's as much as I'd want to. I'll try and get around to any that you might personally send me, and I'll still keep good tabs with my previously followed stories. However, no promises in that way. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	27. A Flame of Innocence

A Harsh Reality Ch. 27: A Flame of Innocence

**So my big thing that I did yesterday was my one off chapter for JWLS, so go read that story cause i like JWLS. Also, the twitter thing is still going on { Codyknight22} and I tweeted out a story preview yesterday for this chapter. So let's get to it.**

He ran down the halls, and slid right out front of his employers room. Something else had happened, again. Another step in proving his point. Perhaps the Legend of Grimm was something more then a child's fairy tale. And perhaps it would assist in their plan. After all,

They were fighting against children.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss frantically dug around the dresses that she had brought. She could of have sworn that she had brought something for Ruby. But apparently, the answer was no. She felt her head become weighted, and it fell into the bed. She felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn around.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked her gently.

"I forgot to bring you a dress," Weiss said sadly. Oh, she had loved the way that the red dress.

"Me and Yang can go buy one, right sis?" Ruby suggested. Yang was currently not paying attention, and instead had a pair of headphones on her. They vaguely hear the melody of _I Burn _playing through them, and Ruby sighed. She walked over, and placed her hand on Yang's shoulder. She immediately lowered her head phones, and looked up at Ruby.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Wanna go shopping?" Ruby asked, choosing to use the part that Yang would want to do before including what it was for. Blake, who had heard the whole thing, just watched on from her bed. This was going one of two ways. Either Yang was going to be delighted to help her sister shop for a dress, or she was going to be fairly upset.

"Sure," Yang said immediately. "What for?" Ruby had already secured her hood, and placed Crescent Rose behind her.

"A dress," Ruby replied simply.

"For what?" Yang asked, her eyebrow shooting up.

"My date, of course." Yang sighed, but started to put on her boots. She wanted to buy the loosest possible dress so that any of Weiss' sexual desire's might be killed. "Can we get a poofy one?" Ruby asked, tilting her head towards Weiss.

"I'll let Yang handle fashion," Weiss sighed. That line reminded Yang of something important. Well, something important in terms of Weiss' future health. Ruby was not exactly the first person she thought of when she thought about sexual temptation. And that is not just because they're sisters.

"I'll pick well," Yang said, putting on her last boot. "Calm your tits." She pulled up one of her socks, and then pulled down the other. Weiss was already beginning to have second thoughts about letting go out shopping with her date. "Come on Rubes," she said, walking to the door.

"We'll be back soon," Ruby called out. Her and Yang exited the room, and left Blake and Weiss alone.

"They're lying," Blake said absentmindedly.

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

"They said they'll be back soon. Name one thing that Yang and Ruby do together that is over soon." Weiss ran to the window, and watched as her girlfriend's sister and her girlfriend drove off. Weiss groaned, and jumped into her bed. She might have to move the reservations.

_Vale Dress Shop_

Yang followed along with her sister, unsure as to why she was letting Ruby lead. So far, they had been to two other dress shops. The one's that Ruby had picked out, Yang had denied immediately. Yang hadn't really seen anything that matched her selected criteria, but it didn't discourage her from trying to find a dress that was appealing, but not sexually appealing.

The knowledge that her sister was going to the Burning Desire was not exactly encouraging. But, she had only bragged to Weiss and Blake about all the... Specifics of her dates to that restaurant. Ruby still had no knowledge of what exactly went on back there. What if Weiss-.

Wait a minute. What the hell was she thinking? It all made too much sense at that one moment. Weiss was taking Ruby to that restaurant _to _piss her off. _If it's a war she wants, _Yang thought. _It's a war she'll get. _Now, her tactics did a complete one eighty.

She quickly picked out a tighter {not too tight though, otherwise Ruby wouldn't wear it}, strapless red dress, and walked over to Ruby.

"How about this?" She asked. Ruby took a look at it, and just nodded.

"I'll try it on," Ruby replied. She walked over to the changing room, and silently slipped in. Yang watched, and waited to see if she needed any help. "Can you get the zipper?" Ruby's voice came.

"Of course," Yang replied, hearing the exact words that she had wanted too. She opened up the door, and zipped up the dress for her sister. She backed away, and took a look over her sister.

"Well?" Ruby asked. "Should I get it?" The dress hugged perfectly to Ruby's form, matching along every angle beautifully. The dress displayed a small amount of cleavage, but not so much so that it would discourage Ruby from purchasing it. The dress did reach the ground in length, but only just.

"You look beautiful," Yang said proudly. "Come here." She outstretched her arms, and wrapped her sister up in a hug. Yang felt kind of bad for picking this dress with no other intention then to try and tease Weiss, but at least it had worked out in her favor. Ruby did look stunning in the dress.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss closed her last book, and sighed happily. The last of her school work was completed, and she had already made Ruby do it earlier in the day. Blake was just reading, but Weiss was eagerly awaiting the return of her partner. Sending off the overwhelming innocence of Ruby with the wild party girl nature of Yang would work in her favor. If Weiss had guessed correctly, both girls were going to seek out more innocent dresses. Ruby because it's Ruby, and Yang because of how much she hated Weiss at that moment in time.

The door opened up, and the two girls walked into the room.

"Hey guys," Ruby greeted. "We're back."

"And?" Weiss asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"You don't get to see the dress until the date, missy," Yang said. "Which we have to start getting ready for anyways." She looked over at Weiss, then Blake, then Ruby. "Huh. Okay, Ruby and I will stay in here. Blake, I'm going to have to kick you out for now."

"Shows where I rank," Blake said, picking up her book immediately.

"Sorry kitty cat. I promise, I'll have a bowl of warm milk ready for you." Blake's face turned into an angry gaze, and she hissed at her girlfriend. "That's why you need it. Okay, Weiss, you should take the bathroom."

"Why?" Ruby asked. "I've-."

"I'll take the bathroom," Weiss interrupted. She knew exactly where Ruby was about to go with her statement. That one time that Ruby had walked into the bathroom and Weiss had been there. It was an accident, nothing sexual happened, nothing sexual was intended, but there was no way that Yang would take it that way. She just picked up her dress, and walked into the bathroom.

"Alright Rubes," Yang said. "Let's get you all done up."

"All done up?" Ruby asked cautiously. "What are you doing." Yang pulled out a portable makeup kit that she had, and grinned at her sister. "Aw man."

_An Hour Later_

"Ruby! Yang!" Weiss yelled out. "Are you two almost done?!" Weiss had traded out her normal combat skirt for a long, strapped, white dress. She had placed on a coat of her normal makeup, and was now just waiting on Ruby and Yang.

"One more minute," Yang yelled out. Weiss sighed, and sat down on the toilet. There was no telling what exactly Yang would do to Ruby before she could get out there.

"Okay," Ruby yelled out. "You can come out now." Weiss practically ripped the door off of it's hinges, and then walked into the room. Her heart did a momentary pause at the sight of her girlfriend. She had dawned the red, strapless, dress that looked so perfect on her. Her face had been placed on with a minimal layer of makeup, and it also looked wonderful on her.

"You look stunning," Weiss said, taking a sharp breath in.

"You too," Ruby replied, walking over to hug her girlfriend.

"Oh, yeah, you don't want to do that yet," Yang called out. "You might want to wait on your makeup and nails to dry."

"Nails?" Weiss asked. Ruby lifted up her hands, and showed off her freshly painted, red glitter nails. Weiss looked down at her own hands, and felt slightly bad that she had only used a clear coat.

"I should call Blake in," Yang said. She sent off a message, and waited for her partner to show up.

After a bit, Blake had arrived and praised both girl's on how they looked. Almost immediately after, the two girl's had gotten word that the car was ready for them. They parted ways, leaving Yang and Blake alone.

"I must admit," Blake said. "I'm surprised that you let your sister pick that dress."

"Oh no, I picked it," Yang said immediately. Blake raised up her eyebrow, the question written plainly for Yang. "I figured, I know Ruby. She has _noooooo _idea what the Burning Desire makes a lot of money off of. Since she's so innocent, I figured I might as well make the night as torturous as possible for Weiss."

"You are not a nice person," Blake remarked.

"If my baby sister's involved, I'm not going to be nice at all." Yang stood up, and walked over to the kitchen counter. She quickly grabbed a bowl of something, and handed it off to Blake. Blake just looked at her partner, clearly not amused.

"I told you I'd get you warm milk," was all that Yang had to say.

_The Burning Desire_

Ruby and Weiss thanked the hostess, and took a seat. They both pulled out the menu's, and started to read them over. Weiss already knew what she was getting, having heard recommendations from Yang prior to coming there. Most of it sounded unappealing to Weiss, but the four chicken special had sounded pretty good. Ruby just picked out the potato four ways with a side of vegetables {per Weiss' insistence}.

The waitress came by, and quickly took their order's. She walked off, leaving Weiss and Ruby to themselves.

"This place is nice," Ruby said softly. Weiss nodded, actually enjoying the way it was decorated. It was done in a light orange, not one that screamed fire, but felt a little more calming. "I can see why Yang likes it so much." Weiss nodded again, this time determined to steer clear of the topic.

"That's a nice dress," Weiss said. "I didn't think that you'd gravitate towards that one though."

"I didn't," Ruby said, surprising Weiss slightly. "Yang did." Weiss' eyes light up in understanding, and started to try and change her course again. Before she got a chance, the waitress came back.

"Here you go," she said pleasantly. She set down the food, and then stepped back. "I see that you two are a couple?" She asked.

"Uh-huh," Ruby agreed.

"You know, we do have couple rooms. Do you two want a trip to the back?"

"What's in the back?" Ruby asked. Weiss' eyes widened, and she coughed loudly.

"Not tonight," Weiss said quickly, trying to steer clear of the topic. "And that's for another time." The waitress nodded, and just let a smile show on her face.

"Mother, father, or older sibling?" She asked, directing her question to Weiss.

"Older sibling," Weiss grumbled.

"Then don't worry about the back room."

"How did you know?" Weiss asked, confused as to how the waitress had gotten it so quickly.

"We get exactly two types of customers here," the waitress started. "Those that are here for the back, and those that are trying to piss someone off. Pretty easy to guess which one you are."

**End: Aaaand I already said that I don't write dates. Just a nice little bit I wanted to get in. So part 2 of this night and part of the next morning probably. Also, Path to Redemption is going to fall in a more normal rotation of chapters so it'll go this, PtR, CoG, and maybe some other stuff that I want to do. Twitter once again is Codyknight22 {I'm really subtle about self plugs}. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	28. A Grimm Nightmare

A Harsh Reality Ch. 28: A Grimm Nightmare

**So someone suggested that I make an aqua Grimm next and get team RWBY at the beach. I don't know, but my mind jumped to some weird shit after that man. I need to get it out of the gutter soon. As far as adding in other Grimm, probably won't happen. If you have an original Grimm that you can send to me, it might help. Teriphile came to me cause I was watching Tremors {the good one} and I've had Taituo for a while now. So maybe, I might. I'll try and add in my beloved little one sentence mysteries, if I can think that far ahead. Now, onto a more pressing plot thing. I have decided that I have recovered enough from my last lemon endevour {still haven't gone back and read it though cause my PTLD {post traumatic lemon disorder}} to where I am _willing _to write another one. But at a price. If, before my next chapter, I reach 80 followers and 55 favorites {currently at 74 favorites and 51 favorites} then I will write another chapter. So six more followers, and four more favorites. This is indeed bribing you for more followers/favorites and setting what I view to be an unrealistic goal. I mean, I'm totally fine with writing another lemon, but it's not exactly high up on my priorities of things I want to write. So here we go, let's see if it happens.**

Yang rocked back and forth on her bed. She felt concerned that her sister and her girlfriend had been gone for what felt like hours, with no sign up to that point of them returning. That place was somewhere that she knew to be one that could involve some... Adult things that she didn't want to picture her baby sister doing.

Blake's hand appeared on the bottom of her bed, and she pulled herself up to Yang. Without a word, she gently placed an arm around her girlfriend, and nuzzled her head on her neck. She kissed gently, and Yang shuddered slightly.

"Calm down," Blake whispered, her voice remaining cool as ice.

"Who eats dinner for that long?" Yang said impatiently. "It's been, like, three hours."

"It's been one and a half," Blake corrected. "And normal people."

"I shouldn't of have agreed to that bet," Yang said regretfully.

"What's done is done," Blake said softly. "You just have to trust Ruby." Yang sighed, and leaned back in her bed. Blake gently placed her hand on Yang's cheek, and stroked it softly.

Within a few more minutes, the door opened up. Yang practically flew off of her bed, and tackled her teammate to the ground.

"Ruby!" She said happily. "Oh, I'm so happy that you're home!"

"Umm, Yang," Ruby's voice came. Yang lifted her head up, and saw her sister standing above her. Yang looked down, and her face changed to one of shock as she realized that she had Weiss in her arms. Yang just tossed Weiss down, and then wrapped her sister in a hug.

"I'm so happy you're home," Yang repeated. She pulled out of the hug, and stared Ruby in the eyes. "So did you do anything after dinner?" She asked, concern creeping into her voice.

"We came here silly," Ruby said, a smile creeping onto her face. "What else would we do?"

"Why not ask your girlfriend?" Yang responded, now having the stress of keeping the true nature of Burning Desire's purpose hidden behind her. "She might know a thing or two about it."

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, turning around to face her girlfriend.

"Burning Desire has a back room," Weiss began. "And some things happen in that back room. Some R-rated things." Ruby's expression changed to one of horror, and she suddenly looked at Yang and Weiss suspiciously.

"You told me you took a lot of dates there," Ruby said, horrified. Yang just nodded slowly, realizing that her sister had connected the dots a lot faster then she had thought she would. "And you took me there," Ruby said, directing her statement towards Weiss.

"I promise," Weiss said. "If it wasn't for Yang telling me about it, I wouldn't of have known. I swear, I had no intentions of anything. Remember the waitress?" Ruby's expressions softened slightly, and she walked over to Weiss. Ruby clinged onto her, and looked over at Yang.

"I'm sleeping with her tonight," she pouted. Weiss pulled Ruby in close, and started to rub her back gently.

"Shhh," Weiss said softly. "I won't lie to you again." Weiss turned Ruby away from Yang, and looked up at the brawler. She lifted up one hand slightly, and lowered all fingers apart from her middle one. She gently mouthed the words 'fuck you,' and then resumed rubbing Ruby's back. Yang just growled softly. The heiress had won two battles against the brawler that day, and both of them involved her little sister.

_Elsewhere_

The strength of these girls seemed to grow everyday. Perhaps they would become a serious issue in the future. Maybe it should pay them another visit. But through a creation? No, that simply wouldn't work. Perhaps it was time to make it more personal. It reached out for the girls, and discovered their inner desires. Oh, such a wealthy book of information on them.

In it's mind, man was very easily defeatable. Where it's monsters only needed the occasional food source to survive, man needed a constant supply of food, water, and sleep. Oh yes, how important sleep was to these weak beings. All it had to do, was destroy them for the night. Test it's plan. Maybe even lower their wills. Yes, how beautifully that would work.

_RWBY's Dorm_

Ruby curled up with Weiss, and gently closed her eyes. Sleep came immediately for her, a gift that seemed welcoming at the time.

Soon, she was in a beautiful garden. It looked so similar to the garden at Weiss' manor. Oh, how much Ruby had loved the flowers. She felt along them, and looked up to see Weiss and Yang standing in front of her. Ruby eagerly took a step forward, but heard a low growl. Ruby turned, and saw a Beowolf just behind her. She reached for her scythe, but felt that it was absent. She instead tried to tackle it, but her form just went straight through it. As though it was an illusion.

She fell to the ground, and turned to watch as the monster slowly approached her sister and girlfriend. They just raised their arms, and the Beowolf went to bite down. First, it ripped off Yang's arm. Then, it bit down on Weiss' shoulder. Both girls screamed in pain, and Ruby could do nothing but watch in horror. The fear was so horrible, that she couldn't even shock herself out of it.

_Weiss_

Weiss was resting in the Beacon Locker Rooms, looking around the place. _Why am I here? _She wondered. She saw the shape of her girlfriend speed past her, making Weiss smile. Perhaps reasons weren't what she needed.

"Weeeeeeeiiiiiiiissssss," Ruby's voice echoed. "Where aarrrrrrrrreeee yooooou?" Weiss followed along to the showers, and spotted the naked form of Ruby leaned against a wall. _Why is she naked? _Weiss wondered for a moment. But all thoughts vanished as she realized that she was neglecting her partner. Weiss walked forward, and tried to get to her girlfriend.

Before she even reached her, and Beowolf appeared behind her. It wrapped Ruby in it's embrace, and then raised up it's claws.

"NOOO!' Weiss yelled out, seeing what it was trying to do before it could do it. It calmly reached it's claws down to Ruby's throat, forcing Weiss to take off in a sprint. But with every step forward, she grew one step further back. The claws finally reached her girlfriend's skin, and it ripped out her throat.

All too soon, Weiss was on the ground, next to the corpse of her girlfriend.

_Blake_

Blake stood in the Beacon Assembly Hall, watching as black shapes moved in and out. She finally saw a shape that wasn't black, as Yang appeared in the spot of one of the black shapes. Blake smiled, and started to quickly approach her brawler girlfriend.

"I promise to always be with you," Yang said. It seemed like an odd thing to say, but Blake just continued forward. Just as she reached her, the blade of a sword sprouted through Yang's chest. Blake's expression changed from happiness, to horror. She ran over, and grabbed Yang's corpse before it could fall. Blake looked up, and saw what she had feared to see. Adam's sword, freshly stained from blood, resting in Adam's hand.

"Oops," he said unapologetically. "I guess she won't keep her promise." Blake just cried into the open wound, feeling broken to almost irreparable amounts.

_Yang_

Yang stood around in her room, the one at home. It seemed like a strange place for her to reside, especially after being in Beacon for so long. Either way, she felt incredibly safe. She looked over to her sister's bed, and saw Ruby lying in her bed. Seated next to her, was Blake. Yang smiled, and sat down. Blake's hands trailed up her body, until they resided on the bustier girl's chest.

She leaned in, and began to lightly kiss her girlfriend. Just as she did, Ruby screamed out in pain. Yang ran over, pushing her partner's hands off of her. She ran over, and saw a small pool of blood forming on her sister's sheets. She looked over, and saw Ruby's body, a large claw wound laying on her chest.

Just as she mustered up some tears, she heard a scream from Blake. She ran back to her side of the room, and saw Blake's corpse resting on her bed. _What is this hell? _Yang wondered. _This living nightmare?_

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

All four girl's awoke from their nightmares in unison. Each horror so awful for each girl, none of them realizing the connection. All of the girl's grabbed hold of their girlfriend, and cried softly into their shoulders. The pain that they had just experienced was nothing that any of them wished to go through again.

_Ozpin's Office_

He looked over the files, and sighed deeply. The Legend of Grimm's details were sparse, to say the least, but an interesting one had surfaced. Since it was a presence that belonged solely to neither man nor beast, it could invade the dreams of those that it wished too. A mind was too active when it was awake, but asleep, it was the most perfect target for something as horrible as the presence of evil itself.

_Elsewhere_

Oh, how beautifully that test had worked. Perhaps it wasn't necessary for it to continue to target the girls consistently, but it now knew that it could continue to torture it's victims before an attack. How much it looked forward to the time in which it would come back. The torture in which it would continuously provide to the disease known as man, was going to be one for the ages.

**End: Short update, I know. But there's your nice little piece involving Grimm, and a little resolve for Burning Desire. I put all of the girls in a place that I felt as though the would be happy in, but without repeating myself. Weiss ended up in the showers because I remembered a story that someone recommended to me and I couldn't think of anything else. So follow/favorite to get to 80/55 if you want any lemon. Other questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is always appreciated.**


	29. Comfort

A Harsh Reality Ch. 29: Comfort

**So I definitely hit 80 followers and 55 favorites a lot faster then I thought I would... So I now know that no matter what the costs are {since I thought that 80 and 55 wouldn't happen} people will do stuff for lemon. Also, shoutout to damian-lucius-black {going from memory on the spelling} for pointing out that I could of held the contest for doing a date. Shoutout to me being stupid, and not doing that. So if I hit 85 followers, I'll do a date {I'm kidding, I'll probably do one anyway}. Twitter is Codyknight22, tweeted out the preview so let's get this thing started**

Ruby refused to let go of Weiss. The heiress had gently eased her own arms off of Ruby, and started to focus more on comforting Ruby. Out of all of them, she was the only one that had lost a major family member. Yang had technically lost her aunt, but it wasn't as though Summer and her were close. Ruby had lost her mother, and the knowledge of the pain that losing someone close in your life was all too real for her.

Yang was busy comforting Blake, since she had also lost her partner. It wasn't to the extent of Ruby, but she still felt pained. Yang's aura started to fill the room, assisting in calming down Ruby as well as Blake.

"Shhh," Yang whispered. "You're okay. I'm right here." Blake's eyes were reddened and buried in her partner's shoulder. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Yang. The promise that she had made in her dream, the one that Adam broke, everything about it was horrible to her. She kept her arms wrapped close, and just sniffed into Yang's scarf.

"You'll be okay," Yang tried again, keeping her voice at a soothing level. "Where's the place that you would feel the safest?" Blake looked around her, and then back at her partner. She kept an eye lock with Yang, and then let them trail over to her books. Yang followed her gaze, and nodded in understanding. She had developed a way of silently communicating her wishes to Yang, which helped in times like then.

"I'm going to take Blake down to the library," Yang said softly. "Try and calm my sister down." Weiss nodded, and briefly waved goodbye. Yang slowly lead Blake out the door, and gently let it close.

Weiss watched them go, and continued to rub her girlfriend's back.

"Can you sing?" Ruby asked, her voice staying shaky because of the tears. Weiss looked down at her partner, and took in a deep breath. She started the opening notes to _Red Like Roses, _but Ruby shook her head. "Your song." Weiss' nerves rose suddenly. She wanted to comfort her partner, but this song was such a sad song. Weiss had written it in a dark place, and she wasn't sure that she had wanted to let her girlfriend hear it. "Please?" Ruby tried again. Weiss finally took in another breath, and then cradled Ruby like a baby.

"Mirror," Weiss sang. "Tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest, of all?"

_A Few Minutes Later_

Weiss finished up her song, and looked down. Ruby's eyes were no longer open, and she was snoring softly. Weiss smiled, happy that she was finally able to comfort her younger partner. She gently lowered Ruby onto her bed, and tucked in the younger girl. She leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sleep tight," she whispered. "And don't let the nightmares in." She walked over to the bathroom to take a shower, and started to strip down.

_Beacon Library_

Yang gently rubbed Blake's shoulders, and smiled at the Faunus.

"Feeling better?" She asked. Blake nodded, and smiled back at her partner.

"Thanks," she said softly. "I'm sorry I had such a prominent reaction."

"You dreamt that you lost your partner after losing your former partner a few months ago," Yang replied calmly. "It's fine."

"Well you woke up and grabbed me too," Blake replied. "What did you dream?" Yang sighed, and grabbed hold of Blake's hand. This time, less for the cats comfort and more for her own.

"Something similar to you," Yang said quietly. "I lost you, and Ruby." Something seemed to click within Blake's mind. _My dream, Yang's dream, Ruby's dream, and Weiss' dream, _she thought. _All of them are in connection with each other. _She made a mental note to sort through her scroll later on, and find a certain paper that she had written.

Yang stood up, and gestured for Blake to follow along.

"Let's get some coffee and tea," Yang offered. "Maybe that'll help settle you down." Blake nodded, and followed along with her partner.

_RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss wrapped herself in a towel, and picked another one up to dry her hair off. She briefly checked around her, and cursed herself lightly. In her mental state of caring for Ruby, the girl that had died in her dreams, she had a momentary lapse in judgement and forgot to bring her clothes. She made sure that the towel was secured, and started to walk towards her dresser.

She opened the door silently, and then peered around her. Ruby's shape was still lying on the bed, completely motionless. Weiss checked to ensure that she was still breathing, and then stalked towards her dresser. She opened up the drawer, and heard a creak. Weiss prayed for a moment that maybe Ruby had slept through it. This was the girl that had slept through Yang's snoring for years. Sadly, no such luck today.

Ruby's eyes slowly opened, and she sat straight up.

"Weiss!" Ruby said in surprise. Weiss lowered her head, and then sighed. She lifted it back up, and smiled weakly at Ruby. "Why are you in a towel?"

"You were asleep for a long time," Weiss explained briefly. "So I showered."

"But, the towel?" Ruby tried again.

"I forgot my clothes," Weiss said through gritted teeth. She picked up her clothes, and started to walk away. Ruby grabbed Weiss' arm, and effectively stopped her. "Ruby, let me change!" Weiss said angrily.

"Not before I say something," Ruby said, using her more authoritative voice that she only had to use when she pulled rank. Weiss sighed, and sat next to her girlfriend. She checked to ensure that it was secure, before gesturing for Ruby to continue. "In my dream, I saw you and Yang die." Weiss shuddered, the memory from her own dream coming back to her. "When I fell asleep again, I saw you again. We... We were together, and Yang was there, and Blake was there. I realized that it meant one thing. I can't stand the thought of losing you. You have become everything to me."

"Don't say that," Weiss whispered. "Not now, not when I look like this. Not when there's a threat that's imminent."

"Threat?" Ruby asked, starting to slide her arm around Weiss.

"Don't you see it?" Weiss asked, her eyes starting to sprout out tears. "We have dealt with the White Fang, Torchwick, Cinder, and now our dreams are holding us dying. There has to be some kind of powerful dust wielding, or something for them to be able to do this. I don't... I don't want to think about losing you." Ruby placed her head on Weiss' shoulder, and wrapped her arms around her.

"Don't think about it, Weiss," Ruby whispered. "Think about something else. Something happier." Ruby's hand slid down, to try and hug Weiss. Unfortunately, she knocked off the knot on Weiss' towel. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Here, let me help." Ruby picked up the towel, and tried to tie it up again. Weiss reached out, and stopped her.

"I'm fine," she said softly. "I needed to hear that, I guess." Ruby nodded, and went to walk away. Weiss grabbed her arm this time, and looked over at Ruby. "Please, I... I..." Weiss stopped. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, but she also knew what it entailed.

"What?" Ruby asked. Weiss sighed, and leaned in to kiss Ruby. Ruby stopped for a moment in surprise, but soon kissed Weiss back.

**WARNING: A CITRUSY FRUIT IS INBOUND**

Ruby mindlessly traced her hands down, and they soon reached Weiss' breasts. Ruby pulled out of the kiss to apologize, but Weiss quickly just pulled back into the kiss. The longer Ruby had to think, the more she would doubt this.

Weiss quickly started to undress Ruby from her nightclothes, and tried to get a grasp on the girl's breasts. Ruby was unsure of what to think, but decided to just let it happen. She decided to get a grasp on Weiss' breasts, and just start massaging them. Weiss let out a moan, encouraging Ruby to keep going.

Weiss' hand finally moved down from Ruby's breasts, and centered around Ruby's legs. The younger girl felt a sudden urge for Weiss to continue on her path, wanting her to be placed inside her. Weiss seemed to sense this, and the girl clearly had no sense of teasing. She plunged in one finger, causing Ruby to gasp loudly.

Weiss continued forward, and started to move it around slowly inside of Ruby. The younger girl bit her tongue, really unsure of how to feel about all of this. She wanted to moan, and scream, but she wasn't sure if she should. Weiss leaned into Ruby, and brought her mouth up to her ear.

"Do me too," Weiss said softly. Ruby took a moment to understand what she meant, and then she lowered her hand down to Weiss' legs. She gave the heiress identical treatment, and Weiss let out a loud moan. Ruby took that as a sign, and kept on going. She started to moan as well, unable to contain it from the mass amounts of pleasure that she had started to feel.

Weiss and Ruby both felt themselves starting to reach their climaxes, coming to the points quickly because neither of them had ever really done this before. Ruby was the first to reach it, letting out a soft scream that was only suppressed by Weiss' lips coming in contact with her own. Ruby felt the liquids coming out of her, and she slowed down her own finger's pace. Very quickly though, she picked it back up. The girl's sense of equality reaching a point where she felt as though she had to allow Weiss to feel the same way.

Weiss reached the point very quickly, her screams being stifled in the same way as she had stifled Ruby's. Both girls collapsed to the bed sheets, unable to continue any longer. They just lay there, and decided to pull up the covers over them. Today was a Saturday, which meant no classes. They could just lay like this, and do this all day.

Within a few seconds, they were both asleep.

_Later on_

Yang opened up the door, laughing over her own lame joke. She let Blake enter in first, and then walked over to the Faunus' bed. Yang looked over, and smiled over at Weiss and Ruby. They were both asleep, Ruby's arm draped over Weiss. How cute they looked. Weiss did a really good job at calming Ruby down.

Suddenly, Yang's nose latched onto a scent. It was something familiar to her. _Where do I know that...? _It all made sense to Yang. She realized something, and her eyes changed from lilac to red. Neither Ruby nor Weiss was wearing any clothes.

"You'll disturb Ruby," Blake said boredly. Her mind had already connected every dot. Yang puffed angrily, but went to sit at the edge of her bed. When Weiss woke up and moved away from Ruby, she was so far beyond the point of dead.

Blake just looked on, amused by the spectacle that her partner was putting on. But, she had to keep focus. Blake pulled out her scroll, and found her completed paper that she had turned into Port.

_And several iterations mentioned that Grimm could invade the dreams of those that it wished too. It often plagued the portion of one's mind that was reserved for nightmares and fear, choosing to deprive it's victims of sleep. This only worked because of the lax state a mind was in while asleep. The iterations that this was not said to be true in, left it out completely as opposed to actually saying anything against it._

Blake set aside her scroll, and took a deep breath in. _Why do so many details line up with this thing? _She wondered.

_Elsewhere_

_So another has become alert to my presence. Another is wondering if I'm a creation of dust. Haha, the fools. All of them are fools. I should of have known better then to worry about these... These... Girls, that's what man calls them. It seems as though my best course of action would be to reinforce my point in as many places as possible. So it is time, my beasts. Fly, dig, swim, run, roll, do whatever it is that you must. Destroy all of man and his creations._

_But leave those with true darkness in their hearts. They could be of value to me._

**End: So another lemon, let me know how I did. Getting a bit more ominous with Grimm {who might get his own story, who knows}, Blake's catching on. All of those are feedback worthy things, right? Maybe story follower/favoriter worthy? Maybe twitter follower worthy? So questions, comments, follows, favorites, twitter followers, and feedback is appreciated {just in case you missed it at all, my twitter is Codyknight22}. **


	30. Afternoon After

A Harsh Reality Ch. 30: Afternoon After

**So that last chapter was pretty great. So great, that I decided to write this one before PtR and CoG {reversing the order. This, CoG, and then PtR}. Really, really excited. I'm getting some good feedback on lemons, so I'm gonna stop at a high point {unless I feel like bribing}. Also, here's the link to my twitter account www . ****twitter ** **Codyknight22** f**igured that might help {remove the spaces and add in / when appropraite} cause I'm now only going to be announcing upcoming {not current} projects on there {I'm self plugging the shit out of myself}. So, let's get to the fury.**

"And with that, another Grimm is taken down. But, that casualties are rising."

"An unnaturally large Beowolf has been killed, but not before it took down several people."

"The new Grimm that recently attacked Beacon, was once again sighted. It nearly took down a city, but local authorities and hunters were finally able to take it down. It has now been named a Taituo."

Ozpin threw down his scroll, and placed his head in his hands. He started to rub it, and just sighed. All of the Grimm attacks were really starting to grain on him. It made him confident that Grimm had indeed returned, but did he have any way for to get anyone to believe that this was true. He finally just banged his head on the desk, and just started to wonder.

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Yang had not shifted her murderous gaze away from Ruby and Weiss. Since she had come back, more importantly since she had realized that Ruby and Weiss were naked, she hadn't shifted around her view.

Her constant physical harm and death threats were never intended as anything more then a joke, after Weiss and Yang had warmed up to each other. Now, Weiss was lying right next to Ruby, and both of them had an absence of clothing. Oh, how true her death threats were going to become.

"Calm down," Blake said again. She had kept a solid grip around Yang, wanting to prevent her from doing anything. But, Blake's grip strength wasn't going to be strong enough to stop Yang. Not when she was in a frenzy.

"Not until after I strangle her," Yang said in a low voice.

"Yang, do you think that Ruby wouldn't do something like this unless she fully trusted Weiss?" Blake challenged, lightly kissing Yang's neck.

"And?" Yang replied.

"Okay, I get where you're coming from." Blake racked her brain, attempting to come up with anything to cause her to reconsider. "Well, don't you think that Ruby deeply cares for her?"

"Don't care," Yang said instantly.

"Do you really want to kill her?" Blake finally asked.

"Oh no," Yang said softly. "That would be over to fast. I'm going to suffocate her to the brink of death, let her breathe, and then-."

"Okay, you've thought this through," Blake said, patting her girlfriend on the back. "I'm just going to try and keep you away from her when the time comes around." Yang nodded, and completely ignored her partner.

_An Hour Later_

Ruby's eyes started to slowly open, and she started to come to it. She could feel the warmth of Weiss draped over her, causing her to smile. Ruby started to turn slowly, and soon faced the sleeping face of her partner. She leaned forward, and kissed her. Weiss' eyes opened up after that, and she smiled down at Ruby.

"Morning," Ruby said softly.

"Looks like it's the afternoon," Weiss corrected.

"Whatever," Ruby replied, a smile present on her face.

"Ahem," a loud voice coughed. Ruby and Weiss both turned, and saw Yang staring at them. It took both girls a few moments to realize three things. One, they had both been intimate before they had fallen asleep. Two, neither of them were wearing any clothes. Three, Yang looked ready to murder them.

"Oh, uh, hi," Ruby started.

"Stand up and get out of my way," Yang demanded. "Do it, right now."

"Please don't move," Weiss whispered into her girlfriend's ear. Ruby nodded, and lifted up the covers as she sat up, effectively covering up her chest. Weiss followed up, ensuring that she was hidden behind Ruby.

"Yang," Ruby said softly, trying to mimic the calming voice that Yang so often used. "Please, it was... Ummm... What's the word?"

"Consensual," Weiss whispered.

"Consensual," Ruby repeated. "I really, really like Weiss. Please don't kill her."

"I'm not going to kill her," Yang said, cracking her knuckles. "That's over too quick."

"Yang," Blake whispered, trying to apply reason to a situation where reason really went out the window. "Did you ever have sex at Ruby's age?" Yang sighed, and lay back in her bed.

"This isn't over," Yang said hostily. She suddenly sat up, and activated her gauntlets. She took aim straight at Weiss, and then started again. "Don't, ever, EVER, let me catch you lying naked with my sister again, got it?" Weiss nodded quickly. "Good." She went back to lying in her bed, and just blew continued to blow steam.

It really was lucky for Weiss that her and Ruby had fallen asleep. It gave Yang time to cool off {which took a very long time} and start to remember what she had been like at Ruby's age. Sure, she had gotten with several boys and girls, but she had always been courteous enough to ensure that she never blatantly told Ruby that she had sex. Then again, Ruby had never told her that she had sex. Yang just happened to walk in on her and her girlfriend lying naked, in bed.

"Um, Yang," Ruby's voice came up. "Can you and Blake leave so that me and Weiss can get changed?" Yang puffed out another breath, even further annoyed that Ruby had {in Yang's ears} essentially told her that she had no issues with being naked in front of Weiss. Yang stood up, and gestured for Blake to leave with her.

The two girls opened up the door, and stepped outside. Blake immediately placed her arm around Yang, and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

"Relax," Blake said softly. "We've gotten to know Weiss over the past year, but I think that I have an idea." Blake leaned into Yang's ear, and started to whisper her plan into her girlfriend's ear.

_A few minutes later_

Ruby opened up the door, and gestured for Blake and Yang to reenter the dorm. Weiss was sitting awkwardly on her bed, really unsure of exactly what to do. Yang climbed onto her bunk, and stared down at the heiress. Blake sat down on her bed, and watched as Ruby climbed onto her own bed.

"So," Blake said. "I think that it might be mutually beneficial if I were to take Ruby out, and Weiss was to take Yang out."

"She's going to kill me!" Weiss said quickly. "This is a terrible idea."

"Well, I won't kill Ruby," Blake said slowly. "And Ruby won't kill me. Yang, can you try and keep Weiss alive."

"If she comes on the brink of death, maybe," Yang said slowly.

"That's as close as we're going to get," Blake sighed. "Alright Ruby, pick a place."

"Oh, so much pressure," Ruby muttered. "How about, the uh, Sunrise Cafe?" Blake smiled, remembering when she had visited that place with Sun Wukong.

"Sure," Blake said, really fine with it either way. This trip was going to be about bonding. Weiss looked at Yang, and sighed deeply.

"Where do you want to go?" The heiress asked.

"A dark alley," Yang said. "A very, _very, _dark alley that is out of the way of everything."

"How about the Melted Cafe?" Weiss finally said. Yang just nodded slowly, and started to walk towards the door. Weiss had to run after her, and then she looked back at Ruby and Blake. They both figured out what she meant. _If you find my body, you know what to do. _

"What can possibly go wrong?" Blake muttered.

_Elsewhere_

_And so they have split into pairs. Yes, I haven't forgotten about you four. Perhaps not the biggest concern, but still an issue that I need to address. Every man is. What shall I throw at them? Oh yes, the possibilities are limitless. Perhaps a small dose of Ritigoru and Releo will be enough to stop them. Where they are going is of no issue. They will never arrive._

_Weiss and Yang_

Yang had broken roughly fifteen traffic laws by Weiss' count. Speeding was the most prominent one. She was going as fast as she could of have possibly gone, popping wheelies and driving through tight gaps.

"STOP WITH THIS!" Weiss yelled out, clinging to Yang for dear life.

"NAH," Yang replied. Weiss continued to try and restrain herself from yelling, but it was getting difficult. Yang had her heart in her hands, and Weiss wasn't enjoying the experience. Yang took a brief look back, and smiled at Weiss' bone white hands and petrified face. _Good, _she thought. _Next time, don't let me catch you. _

_Ruby and Blake_

In contrast to their partners, both of these girls were walking along at a nice and leisurely pace. Ruby had tried to make some form of awkward small talk, but Blake had shot that down. They shifted their attention to taking bets on how long Weiss was going to last before she snuck out to a bathroom and called Ruby. Ruby had a little more faith in Weiss then Blake did, but hey her call.

Blake's mind was only focused partially on their conversation though. She had seen the news reports, and she was full and well aware that the Grimm attacks had been spiking. Not to mention the new Grimm that they had encountered, a Taituo or something? It had already come up in three separate incidents. It was difficult to ignore how these have been rising, which only brought Blake to the last lines from the Legend of Grimm.

_And when it was going down to the abyss that man had cast it too, it made a simple promise, it's voice thundering in the thoughts of man._

_"I will return, and when I do return, my Grimm will start to clear the way for me. You'll see the likes of Grimm that you could never imagine, and their size will be massive. For there is one thing that you should know, you can't kill Grimm."_

"LOOK OUT!" Ruby yelled out. She ran over, and tackled Blake mid-thought. Ruby got off of Blake, and the Faunus stood up. Her thoughts and movements froze upon the sight. A Grimm, a Grimm that looked like a lion. It was something that she had heard of, but never encountered. It had an elongated body, with a black mane. All of it's teeth were jagged, making for a more effective bite. It's eyes were a bright red, hidden behind the bone mask that all Grimm shared. It's back was decorated with the white bone spikes, and were it's knees. It's claws shared a similar jagged nature as it's teeth. And of course, it was larger then it should of have been.

"It's a Releo," Ruby said. "I think we studied this. Do you remember it's weakness?" Blake shook her head, and drew Gambol Shroud. Ruby let Crescent Rose spring to life, and took in a shaky breath.

_Weiss and Yang_

Yang was relatively positive that she had passed it. She hadn't been as focused on navigation as she had been on trying to scare the shit out of Weiss. _At least I succeeded in one thing, _Yang thought.

"HOW MUCH LONGER?!" Weiss yelled out, wanting for this ride to discontinue. Yang hit the breaks, and then spun Bumblebee around. "REALLY?!" Weiss yelled. Yang wordlessly hit the gas, and started to speed off.

They were only a little bit into their journey, when they felt a solid object slam into them. Weiss and Yang were thrown from Bumblebee, and the bike was sent spiraling off. Both girls landed on the ground, and rolled to their feet. They saw something that neither of them had expected to see. A Grimm, in the shape of a tiger. It had black and white stripes going along it's body, and spikes going down it's back. The bone mask didn't cover up it's mouth, allowing the girls to see it's razor sharp teeth. The only thing that concerned them, was it's size. It was a massive Grimm, a lot larger then what it would normally be.

"A Ritigoru," Weiss mumbled. "What's it doing here?" She drew Myrtenaster, and took a moment to regain her balance.

"It wrecked Bumblebee," Yang muttered. She activated Ember Celica, and closed her eyes. "I'm going to kill this fucking thing." Yang's eyes opened, and her eyes were back to the hateful red. Flames burst out around her, and she ran straight at the Ritigoru.

She slammed into it's stomach, and sent it hurling back. It quickly placed two of it's paws on the ground, and then violently shook Yang from it. Weiss ran up behind it, and stabbed her sword straight through it's back. The Grimm howled out, but was still able to toss Weiss from it's back, though her sword was left behind.

It didn't have long to recover as Yang slammed into it again. She swung around her fists at it's stomach, causing it to have to take a few pauses. It finally regained it's senses, and batted Yang away.

"MY SWORD!" Weiss yelled out, trying to point it out to Yang. She raised up a glyph, and drew the Grimm's attention. "YANG, HIT THE SWORD!" Yang stood up, and nodded. The Ritigoru pounced on Weiss, forcing her to pull a glyph over herself. "HURRY!" Weiss yelled out. Yang bent her knees, and took off in a sprint. She jumped up into the air, and started to swing her fist down. The Grimm turned around, and hit Yang straight in the stomach.

"NO!" Weiss called out. She lowered the glyph, and caused the off balance Grimm to fall to the ground. Weiss quickly withdrew her sword from it's back, and brought it down into it's skull. The Grimm howled out for a brief moment, but then fell over, the life having left it's body.

Weiss instantly ran over to Yang, and gently lifted the brawler up.

"Yang?" She asked, shaking her lightly. "Yang, get up Yang." She shook Yang again, and her eyes finally opened.

"Okay, I can't do this any longer," Yang said. "You'd give me brain damage if you kept shaking me."

"That's only a concern now? Not earlier in life?" Weiss said, the words coming out of her relieved mouth. Yang stood up, and looked over at the remains of Bumblebee.

"My baby," Yang muttered. "I'm going to have to get it fixed now." Yang turned around, and looked at Weiss. "Now what?"

"I just want to go home," Weiss said immediately. "Well, Beacon." Yang nodded, and placed her arm around Weiss. Both girls started to walk along, and Yang eventually stopped.

"What?" Weiss asked. Yang swung her fist hard into Weiss' jaw, and the heiress fell to the ground. "THE FUCK?" She yelled, in a manner that her father would of have most definitely disapproved of.

"That's for having sex with my sister," Yang said instantly. "And letting me catch you with her." Yang picked Weiss up, and started to drag her along. Yang had been waiting for Weiss being off-guard enough so that she could do that for a long time.

_Ruby and Blake_

Ruby placed her scythe into the ground, and spun around her boots into the head of the Releo. The Grimm went back a little bit, and Blake tried to catch it off guard with her sword. The Releo swung around it's paw into Blake, sending her through the air. This game of cat and mouse had continued on for a while, but to no avail for either side.

"Blake," Ruby called out. "Get it's attention." Blake nodded, and ran straight at the Grimm. She swung around her blade at it's feet, and it easily jumped into the air. It quickly swung around it's fist into Blake, sending her back. She stuck her sword in the ground, and spun herself back. She saw the Grimm stalking towards her, getting ready for the kill. Blake heard a loud shot ring out, and the Grimm turned back to Ruby. Blake noticed a bullet hole, and realized that Ruby had shot it. Blake quickly brought her sword into it's neck, causing the Grimm to wail out in pain. It tried to face Blake, but it bled out before it could.

Ruby and Blake just watched as the Grimm sank to the ground, and both of them fell over in exhaustion.

_Elsewhere_

_So no one Grimm can defeat them. How intriguing. That might be a useful thing to remember for the future. No matter, in war those on the front lines are merely the first casualties._

**End: Hit 60 favorites! I am already 10 followers/favorites behind CoG, and this story is like 50 chapters behind. I really love this story, so I'm fine with it either way. Anyways, going to announce something on Twitter on Friday {2 days} in way of stories. Not on here, because I'm going to see if this promotes my twitter {I'm really trying hard for this}. Also, it's only a guarantee that it'll be out on Friday on twitter. So questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	31. Wreckage

A Harsh Reality Ch. 31: Wreckage

**Okay, going to clarify this now. I'm not going to include a mind-control type Grimm. Grimm itself can get into the minds of people, but that doesn't equal mind control, especially not in my books. Grimm will be this type of enemy {who's full details are still only known to me =]} and his creatures will continue to follow along with that. But, let's just say that I have a few little tricks for Grimm to unveil over the course of the next several chapters. Also, tomorrow announcement via twitter. www . ****twitter . c om ****Codyknight22 {remove spaces and add in / when appropriate}. I'm excited, and it has more of a thing to do with me as a writer, and not necessarily this story. But who knows, it could pertain to this story. You know who does know? Me. So, let's get on with this chapter.**

Weiss continued to pace around Yang, furthering her lecture about why they should abandon the wreckage of Bumblebee and get back to their partners. Yang, of course, wasn't having a word of it. She just waited for the mechanic services to come and judge how long it would take for Bumblebee to be fixed.

"You've stopped listening, haven't you?" Weiss asked. No response from Yang. "Yeah, I knew that. We should at least call Ruby and Blake."

"To have them worry?" Yang finally said. "No, that's not going to happen." Weiss sighed, and lifted up the ice bag that she had purchased at a nearby shop. Yang's hit had really hurt. Weiss heard a slight ring, and checked her scroll.

"Speak of the devil," Weiss muttered.

"Don't answer it," Yang said instantly.

"And have them worry?" Weiss challenged. "No, I don't think so." She clicked on answer, and held the scroll up to her ear. "Hello?" Weiss started.

"Weiss!" Ruby's voice came. "Are you guys okay? Did Yang kill you?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said quickly. "Yang and I ran into a Ritigoru, or Bumblebee did, but we survived. Can't say the same for Bumblebee." There was nothing but dead air on the other end. "Ruby?" Weiss asked cautiously. A continued silence. "Ruby!"

"Sorry," Ruby finally responded. "It's just, me and Blake ran into a Releo." Weiss felt her heart skip a beat, and she was now the one to hesitate. "We're fine, but it took us a bit to kill it."

"Uh-huh," Weiss said slowly. "Yang and I are going to wait on the mechanic to check out Bumblebee, and then we're going to head on back to the dorms. Be safe, okay?"

"You too Weiss," Ruby replied. "Bye."

"Bye." Weiss hung up, and looked at the scroll. She hadn't said everything that she had wanted to say, but this much was going to have to do for now. Weiss didn't know if she wanted to say what she thought she did, but she thought that she had heard Ruby say it once. _Oh right, _Weiss thought sadly. _When she was drunk. _Weiss sighed, and walked back to the brawler.

"How is she?" Yang asked, her eyes still being trained on Bumblebee.

"Fine," Weiss replied easily. Weiss pondered over her options for a second, but then decided to tell Yang. "A Releo came after them." Now Yang snapped her attention over to Weiss.

"What?" Yang asked, alarm clear in her voice.

"Both of them are fine," Weiss reassured her. "We'll meet them back home, but you want to wait for the mechanic." Yang looked over at the wreckage of Bumblebee, and took a deep breath. _So it comes to this, _Yang thought. _My baby, or my baby sister. _Yang opened her mouth to reply, but she saw a car pulling up in the distance. _And so that decision is left for another time, _Yang thought happily.

_Unknown Location_

He burned out another cigar, and kept looking over his scroll. So many Grimm attacks, so many chances to build up dust. He saw his employers enter the room, and he smiled over at them.

"Wonderful news," he said happily. "These Grimm attacks are giving us a potential for attacking."

"How is this wonderful news?" The man asked. "We can't get into anywhere without them attacking us."

_So you believe._

The four of them looked around, taking a moment to locate the source. The voice was deep, raspy, and it echoed with every sound.

_And so you are trying to find me. You cannot see me, I think that you should know that._

He swung around his cane, and tried to pick out that voice.

"Who are you?" He yelled out.

_Who is not the right question, the right question is what am I. I am something that all of you are familiar with, something that is responsible for this. I, am something that is interested in how dark all of your hearts all. _

"What do you mean?" The woman in red said calmly. "What would darkness do to benefit... A being such as yourself."

_You still don't understand what I am, do you? Let me explain myself._

_I_

_Am_

_Grimm._

_Outside of Beacon_

Ruby and Blake walked up, and sighed deeply. Ruby walked over to the nearest bench, and just collapsed. Blake prepared some sly thing to say, but she just collapsed right next to Ruby. Both girls hadn't really suffered a great injury, but they had used a lot of aura to take down the quick Releo. Neither of them were too full of energy at that moment.

Both of them were not pleased with the prospect of walking all the way over to their dorm. Luckily for them, the cries of angels greeted them. The cries of a prissy, spoiled angel and a busty, loud angel.

"You two girls look lost," Yang called out from the passenger seat. "Need a lift?"

"You two have no idea how much I love you right now," Ruby groaned. "You really don't." Ruby dragged herself to her feet, and looked over. She saw a white car, with red strips going around it. It had a slender frame, but four doors. "Where'd you get the car?" Ruby asked, dragging herself along to the seat behind Weiss.

"Well," Weiss started. "The mechanic said it would take at least a week for Bumblebee to be fixed." Yang whimpered slightly, and kept muttering "my baby," under her breath. "And Yang's been like this," Weiss grumbled. "I called my father, and saw to it that he tried to persuade the mechanic to work faster. He not only did that, but he sent in this car. He told me that this is an early birthday present. He said the red stripes were because of..." Weiss paused, unsure of how to phrase what he had said. "He... Um... He said 'because of your team leader and close friend that took a bullet for you.' I guess it's not the worst he could of said." Ruby smiled, and threw open the door. Blake did the same on her end, and both girls waited to be dropped off out front.

_Team RWBY's Dorm: A While Later_

Yang walked down the hall, both her partner and her sister's arms draped around her neck. She kept both of them upright, and somehow still had enough strength to keep up her pace. Yang walked over to Blake's bed, and gently laid her down. She then walked over to Ruby and Weiss' bunk, and sighed deeply. There was no way she would be able to get Ruby up to her bed.

"Okay Rubes," Yang said. "I'm going to lay you down on Weiss' bed, but keep it PG when she gets back from parking the car." Ruby nodded, and Yang laid her down on the bed. She stood up, and looked over her partner and girlfriend. "Man, you two look like shit."

"Guess who's sleeping alone tonight," Blake said. Yang pouted for a moment, but walked over to Blake.

"Hopefully, Ruby and Weiss," she remarked.

"Hey," Ruby protested.

"So why are you guys like this?" Yang asked, looking at how they looked.

"The stupid thing forced us to exert our aura," Ruby grumbled. "And we went a little overboard."

"Mostly to get rid of injuries," Blake added in. "That Releo was fast."

"And big," Ruby said. "Like, really big."

"So now we're regaining our strength," Blake finished. Yang looked at her scroll, and grimaced slightly at how low Blake and Ruby's aura was.

"It really didn't help that we had to walk back," Ruby muttered. At that moment, Weiss walked back into the dorm. She instantly walked over to the kitchen, and started to make something. As soon as she finished up, Weiss walked over to her bedside. She placed a cloth over Ruby's head, and started to give her some food.

"Weiss, I'm not sick," Ruby said instantly.

"I know that, you dunce," Weiss said harshly. "But, all of this should help you recover." Ruby nodded, not having the energy to argue.

Yang decided to make Blake some tea, and grab her some food as well. She got everything that she needed quickly, and then walked back over to Blake.

"Is this what I have to look forward too when I'm sick?" Blake asked. "Being served in bed."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself my kitten," Yang purred softly. She brushed back Blake's hair, and noticed an open wound resting over her eye. She gently tapped it, and Blake recoiled slightly. "Let me take this," Yang said. She placed her hand very lightly over the wound, and closed her eyes. A yellow energy started to transfer from Yang to Blake, and the would started to close. Yang opened her eyes, and saw that the wound had healed. "Good as new," Yang said softly.

Truthfully, after that energy transfer, Blake could of have stood up. But she had had the blonde brawler care for her before, both for mental illness and physical illness. And, Blake enjoyed it greatly.

Weiss fed Ruby another spoonful of soup, and kept going along. She had surprised herself when she had enjoyed caring for the younger girl so much. Sure, Ruby probably didn't need to be cared for this much, but Weiss was going to take every opportunity.

"Weiss," Ruby said. "I'm fine, really."

"This is the only thing keeping Yang from killing me right now," Weiss whispered, trying to keep her voice sounding serious. Ruby could smell the lie, but thought that Weiss had to have a reason for doing this. So, Ruby would tolerate it for now.

"Weiss," Ruby asked, something occurring to her. Weiss looked at her partner, and waited on her question. "What happened earlier today, why did you do it?" Weiss stopped, her hand holding a spoonful of soup. "I mean, I think I've heard Yang talk about it before. But, you're... You're... You're not Yang."

"Thank god for that," Weiss muttered.

"But, I don't think that was a casual thing. Was it?" Ruby's eyes turned pouty, and Weiss bit her lip. There was that look, the one that just sucked the truth out of you.

"No," Weiss said softly. "It was my first time, so it really did mean a lot to me."

"But, why?" Ruby asked. There was that damn question again. It was a question that Weiss' intelligence had to find a way to dance around.

"Do you remember when we first started dating?" Weiss asked softly.

"First time or second time I was drunk?" Ruby asked, delivering it in such a way that only Ruby could, bored.

"First," Weiss whispered. "You said that you remembered everything, right?" Ruby searched her memories, trying to find what it was that Weiss would be talking about.

"At the time, yeah," Ruby said. "But, what about now?"

"You said something while you were drunk," Weiss continued, ignoring her partner's confusion. "At the time, I didn't know how to interpret it. Now, I do." Ruby now desperately searched her memories, trying so hard to come up with what it was. Weiss just patted her partner on the shoulder, and smiled down at her. "I'll let you figure it out," Weiss said. She walked over to the bathroom, and closed the door.

Yang fed one last spoonful of tea to Blake, and then placed the empty cup to the side.

"You're fine, aren't you?" Yang asked. Blake sat up instantly, and stretched out.

"A miracle," Blake said, a sly grin evident on her face.

"Cheater," Yang teased, pushing Blake back on her bed. Yang quickly climbed into bed with her partner, and curled up with her.

"I only cheat for love," Blake joked.

"Tsk, tsk," Yang chided. "It really is bad luck to throw around a word like that." Blake rolled over, and brought her lips into Yang's. She lifted them up, and rolled Yang enough to reach her ear.

"How scared would I be if I told you I meant it?" Blake challenged. Yang turned to face Blake, and took a calm breath.

"I wouldn't be scared at all, I would be happy." Yang kissed Blake again, and then leaned away from her. "And I'd tell you that I love you." The two girls held each other's gaze for a moment, and then smiled at each other.

"What if I told you I was pregnant?" Blake tossed in.

"I thought I used protection," Yang muttered.

Ruby watched her sister and Blake talk, the words only faintly evident to her. She heard what she needed to hear though, and smiled. Her sister was finally going to settle in, not have Ruby learn a new name every week. That made Ruby happy, happy for her sister, happy for herself.

_Showers_

Weiss stepped out into the steamed room, and looked at the mirror. She drew the shaky image of a heart, and then wrote a single word within it.

_Ruby_

**End: I had finally cured myself, gotten rid of all of the cliches. But, I needed to cure myself of the cure. BRING ON THE CLICHE HATE! So questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is massively appreciated {check my twitter at some point tomorrow for any story news}.**


	32. Confessions

A Harsh Reality Ch. 32: Confessions

**Got a couple of things to address. First of which, I have 3 new ongoing stories, and one one-shot. Legend of Grimm was not originally intended to be a one-shot, but as many of you pointed out, that plotline would of have just become the same as this. So, if you want a prequel for how Grimm really got started, read that. I also have Against the Grain, What Good is Love?, and Good Old PT. Read those if you want too. As for any concerns about me doing six stories at the same time {this is probably going to be long}, don't worry about it. I want to do these stories. I'm doing well as a writer on this website, and that does come as a surprise. But, I started writing for one person, me. It's awesome to me that other people like what it is that I have to write, it really is. And sure I hold my polls and stuff to see what exactly it is that you guys want, and it's something I'm willing to do. But, I'm still writing to please myself. Six stories shouldn't be too much for me, because I have the plots of all six of them well thought out. Stress level won't be an issue either, seeing as of how I have lived in chronic pain for close to 18 weeks now, and my stress level is fine. This is a stress reliever for me. I enjoy writing these stories, I'm glad and surprised that other people do as well, but I'm not overly concerned about how everything plays out here. At the end of the day, this is what I want to do. You can support it, or you can try and tell me not to do it, but it really doesn't matter to me. Six stories that I want to do, CoG is coming to a close, GOPT is intended to be a shorter story anyway, and then that leaves me with four. So if you're going to speak against it, look at it from that light. Also, story update order is going to be this, What Good is Love?, Against the Grain, Path to Redemption, Good Old PT, and then Child of Grimm. Finally, something a little more directly related to this story, I have reached 95 followers for this one! As I said, this comes to a massive surprise for me, and I am super grateful that you guys enjoy this story.**

Ruby carefully watched Blake's bed. Yang had fallen asleep with her girlfriend pulled close to her chest, and she was snoring loudly. Ruby felt confident that Yang had finally fallen asleep, so she gently lowered herself into Weiss' bed. Ruby gently tapped the heiress' shoulder, and she spun around instantly to face Ruby.

"Hi Weiss," Ruby whispered softly.

"What are you doing?" Weiss whispered back, rubbing her eyes as she spoke.

"Can I sleep with you?" Ruby asked back. The term 'sleep with you,' despite their recent sexual encounter, still held a form of childlike innocence on Ruby's tongue. It was never intended as anything sexual {beyond that one time}, it was more similar to how a small child is unable to sleep at night because of the darkness. Ruby's trying to keep away the nightmare's, and she still believed that the perfect way to do so was through Weiss, since Yang was curled up with Blake.

"Sure," Weiss finally said. She gently rolled to the side, and patted the spot next to her. Ruby climbed in, and hugged Weiss. Within seconds, Ruby had fallen asleep. Weiss remained awake.

She gently rubbed Ruby's back, enjoying the presence of her girlfriend at that moment. Everyone's aura held a different quality to it. Yang's heat could be used as either calming or rage, Blake's aura was always quieting, Weiss' aura was cold, Ruby's was innocence. Just having the younger girl with you gave you a sense of innocence that was normally reserved for people younger then Ruby. It was something that Weiss never took a moment to be grateful for, but something that she often wished she did.

She continued to rub Ruby's back, and stare at her face. It was so soft, so gentle, so peaceful. Weiss just smiled down at her partner, and gently leaned in to kiss her forehead. Yes, there was no mistaking the emotion that drove her around this girl. The thing that Ruby had first admitted, and that Weiss had to learn to feel. It was still so hard for her to think of, much less say. How she wished that she wasn't still herself.

Over the course of a year, her tough heiress skin had already begun to shed layers. But, her exterior coldness had completely cracked just yet. Confessing something as powerful as love was damn near impossible. She wanted to yell, and scream, and just curse wildly, but even something like anger was affected by her heiress skin. Instead, Weiss just kissed Ruby's forehead again, and the closed her eyes. Maybe it would be different in the morning. Maybe... Maybe...

But she feared that it wouldn't be true.

_The Next Morning_

In the rarest turn of events, Yang woke up first. She wouldn't be able to tell you why she did, or what made her. She was having a very pleasant dream. One involving her, and Blake, and a bed, and- and other things...

But now, she was awake. Yang stretched out, and looked around at her sleeping teammates. Ruby had snuck into bed with Weiss again, something that made Yang angry for a moment. But Ruby was so innocent, it was difficult for Yang to feel too much hatred towards the action. _Then again,_ Yang thought. She walked over to their shared bed, and gently lifted the covers. _Nope, still clothed. _She lowered the covers, and looked at her three sleeping teammates. _Da fuck do I do now? _She wondered. Yang then took a look at the shower, and thought about how many teams she had been beaten to it by her team. _Not today. _

She picked up a spare change of clothes, and walked into the shower. She instantly tossed off her clothes, and laid out her other ones for when she needed them. Yang turned on the water to the highest heat, and stepped in.

Any muscle cramps or tightness were instantly dispersed with when she entered the scalding heat. Many other people would of have been bothered by this heat, but Yang could take it. She only used a heat at this intensity to work out her muscle issues.

Her mind, of course, wandered over to Blake. The girl that had been the quiet Faunus just a year ago, had just confessed that she had fallen in love with Yang. Even more terrifying, Yang had repeated the phrase back to her. Something as daring, risky, powerful as love, Yang had equated to Blake. She didn't regret this decision, not even for an instant. It was the right move, and it was the correct emotion. But now, Yang had made a massive commitment. _Ah well, _she thought. _If I truly feel that way about Blake, then it won't be commitment. It will be fun._

Yang finally felt purged of all dirt and grime, and she stepped out of the shower. She was surprised at how much steam she had generated, especially since it wasn't that cold out. Ah well, she didn't care all that much. Yang just grabbed a towel, and started to focus on drying off her body. She worked her way up to her hair, and then stood in front of the mirror. She went to clear a spot, but noticed a small drawing in the mirror. _That's odd, _she thought. She traced the image with her finger, and just stared at it. There was only one person that could of have done that. Yang sighed, and started to work through a talk in her head.

_Team RWBY's Dorm: A little while later_

Weiss' eyes slowly opened up, and she started to sit up. She looked around, and saw Ruby chatting with Blake. Well, really Ruby was talking and Blake was giving the occasional nod. Yang was seated at the kitchen, her eyes trained directly on Weiss.

"You're up," Yang said. Ruby instantly broke her stream of words, and sped right up to Weiss.

"Morning," Ruby said.

"Morning," Weiss replied. She took Ruby's hand, and stood up.

"Hey Weiss," Yang said. Her voice was wrong. Or, no, it was right. Every verbal encounter between Yang and Weiss since... Since she had caught them post-act had been filled with hatred on Yang's voice. Now, her voice sounded just fine. It sounded normal. Weiss was secretly terrified. What kind of horrendous torture had the brawler come up with her in her sleep? No, it might of have been even longer since then.

"Hi Yang," Weiss replied hesitantly.

"So Ruby and Blake," Yang said instantly. "We ran out of fruit. Would you two mind going to get some?" Both girls traded glances at Yang, each other, and finally Weiss. Weiss' eyes read _help, _but they felt like they could trust Yang alone with Weiss again.

"Sure," Blake said. "Weiss, do you mind if we take the car?"

"You're serious?" Weiss asked. Ruby walked over, and kissed Weiss on the cheek. At the same time, Blake used the temporary break in concentration to grab the car keys. It was something that the two had practiced numerous times against Yang, only the roles were generally reversed.

"Thanks Weiss," Blake said, waving around the keys.

"Don't leave me with her!" Weiss cried out. Yang just grabbed onto Weiss' arm, and waved goodbye to their partners. The door closed, and Weiss just slumped to the ground. She had been left alone, with Yang, and Yang already had Ember Celica on. Weiss was still dressed in her blouse, and she slowly sunk back onto her bed.

"Okay Weiss," Yang said. "Just you and me."

"Please don't kill me," Weiss whimpered as she desperately searched for Myrtenaster.

"I hid it," Yang said instantly. Weiss whimpered some more, and just felt resigned to whatever sort of fate that Yang had in store for her. "Weiss, I want to ask you about something. I know the answer to one of my questions, so if you lie, I'm going to hit you." Weiss nodded, and looked up at Yang. Without her sword, she really didn't have a choice but to listen to Yang.

"One," Yang said. "You took a shower yesterday, correct?" Weiss nodded. "During that time, did you write anything on the mirror?" Weiss shook her head, and Yang narrowed her gaze. "Oh really?"

"The smudging was so that I could see myself," Weiss said, using the excuse she had pre-prepared. Weiss barely saw Yang's fist as it made contact with her jaw. "FUCK!" Weiss cried out. She cursed herself again for letting her guard down, and for cursing so un-lady-like. Yang instantly tossed an ice bag to the heiress, and Weiss immediately placed it on her jaw.

"You didn't get rid of it," Yang said instantly. Weiss' heart froze. If her jaw had full mobility, it would of have hit the floor to accompany her frozen heart. "So let me repeat myself, did you write on the mirror? Because I don't think Ruby left that, nor do I think that Blake left that, and I know that I didn't."

"Yeer," Weiss said through her swelling jaw. "Ee -as e." Yang took a moment to decipher what it was that Weiss had said, and tried her guess.

"Yes, it was me?" She tried. Weiss nodded, and kept the ice close. Yang moved the ice pack aside, and flared her aura to help heal Weiss. Once the swelling had gone down, Weiss looked Yang in the eye.

"It was me," Weiss repeated. "I'm just-. I can't-. I don't know." Weiss leaned back in her bed, and looked over at Yang. "I want to tell her, I really do. But it wouldn't be proper." Even to Weiss, that excuse sounded bogus.

"It's okay to be afraid," Yang said softly. "But, it's not okay for you to have feelings like that for my sister and for you to keep them away from her." Weiss nodded sadly, and then looked back at Yang.

"Why are you even helping me?" Weiss asked. "I thought you wanted to kill me?"

"Oh, I still do," Yang reassured her. "Since Ruby lost her dad a long time ago, and then her mother after, she's been living with me and Qrow. Qrow was her adult figure, but I took on the caretaker role. I protect her because I have to. I encourage her to meet new people, make friends, start dating, but I don't think I was ready for the last one. I sure as hell wasn't ready to find you naked with her." Weiss blushed, the memory of that incredible moment sitting with her. "But, if this is truly how you feel, then I want Ruby to know. I want you to tell her." Weiss nodded, and looked back at Yang.

"I'll convince Blake to go and grab something with me," Yang continued. "And that'll give you two some time alone. Use it for what you will, just clean up afterwards." Weiss nodded, and smiled at Yang. "Actually, keep it PG for now. I don't want to know what happened." Weiss nodded again, incredibly grateful for what Yang was doing. "Oh, one last thing," Yang said. Weiss nodded, eager to hear whatever it was that Yang had to say. "If you do break my baby sister's heart, they will never find your body."

_A While Later_

Ruby and Blake opened up the door, a small basket of fruit draped on Ruby's arm.

"Hey guys," Ruby greeted.

"We're back," Blake added in. She tossed the car keys to the counter, but Yang snatched them out of mid-air.

"You know what sounds great?" Yang asked, wrapping Blake up in a hug. "A little trip."

"Where?" Blake asked.

"How about a small breakfast place," Yang said sweetly. Blake looked back at her girlfriend, and then at Weiss. She was able to figure out that there was some kind of alternative motive for this, so she just nodded. "Great. Okay kids, keep it PG while we're gone." This was more directed at Weiss then it was Ruby, and she dragged Blake out of the room.

"So what's going on?" Blake asked Yang, not fooled for one second by Yang's attempted rouse.

"Hopefully Weiss coughs up the truth," Yang said cryptically.

"I'm proud of you," Blake said. "You've finally learned to be cryptic."

_Inside of RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss sat awkwardly on her bed, and just stared at Ruby. Ruby was happily munching on an apple, not paying any attention to Weiss.

"Ruby," Weiss said shakily. Her partner stopped mid crunch, and looked over at Weiss. "Can you toss me a banana?" Weiss asked. _No, _Weiss thought. _That's not right. _

"Sure," Ruby said. She grabbed one, and threw it Weiss' way. Weiss grabbed it, and looked down at the yellow fruit. Weiss didn't even like bananas. She peeled the skin, and took a bite out of it. She held down a gag, and kept on pushing through it. When she finished, Weiss threw the skin into the trash can.

"Ruby," Weiss said softly. "Did you ever figure out what you said?"

"No," Ruby said, kicking at the air. "I still have no idea."

"Well, I-um-I." Weiss stopped, realizing that she was going no where fast. "You told me that you-. Lllll. Llll."

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked. "Didn't you tell me that this was signs of having a stroke?"

"I'm not having a stroke you dolt!" Weiss snapped. "I'm telling you that I love you!" Both Weiss and Ruby froze. When placed in her natural environment, which was yelling at her partner, Weiss felt comfortable enough to say anything.

"You, what?" Ruby asked.

"I love you," Weiss said, her tone softening. "I really do. I don't even like bananas, that was me stalling. When you were drunk, you told me that you loved me. Do you?" Ruby didn't reply with words, instead she ran over to her partner and kissed her. She pulled out of it, and looked Weiss in the eyes.

"Of course I do silly," Ruby said softly. "I get truthful, remember?" Weiss smiled, and kissed her partner back. Life was perfect at that moment. Nothing could of made it better.

_Elsewhere_

_What is this? A connection that is man between man? Two connections, almost at the same time. With the girls that dispatched four of my personal creatures. It's something that I could exploit, but I'll leave it alone for now. I have bigger issues to deal with._

**End: Long chapter to make up for the long rant. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	33. Creations

A Harsh Reality Ch. 33: Creations

**Hey, sorry I've been so absent. I tried to write CoG, but it just didn't feel right. On the other hand, if you're enjoying the way I handle Bumblebee and White Rose here, then you'd love What Good is Love?, which is my only other pure romance story. AU, doing remarkably well, and I just want to let y'all know that it's there. Happy to get back to this story after a small break, but something pretty awesome happened. Thank you to everyone because I am now over 100 followers for this story! It is my second ever story with 100 followers, and the fastest to reach that point. So much pressure on me now to not fuck up... Also, 70 favorites as well! You guys are so incredible for reading this story. Since y'all probably don't care about my A/N's, how about the story now?**

_And so, have you managed to review what I have requested? _It asked.

"Of course we have," the woman in red said. "Why would we go against your orders?"

_You are smart, I like that. And what of the compounds?_

"The volatile nature of the dust makes your request difficult," the woman with white hair admitted. "But, it is doable. We're going to not only need time, but something... Something a little bit more fresh and different."

_That I can do._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Ruby was snoring softly on Weiss' lap. Somewhere between, 'I love you,' and that moment, Ruby had gotten tired. She had just toppled over, and landed right in Weiss' lap. The heiress had remained calm, and just let her partner sleep. Granted, Weiss would of have preferred if she could of have fallen asleep off of her lap, but the heiress would of have hated to break the peaceful state that Ruby was in.

The door opened up shortly there after, and the other two members of RWBY walked into the room. Yang instantly picked out her sleeping sister, and Blake cautiously raised up her hand to grab Yang.

"Tell me what I want to know," Yang sighed.

"We talked," Weiss said softly. "And she fell asleep."

"Nothing else?" Yang questioned. "Actually, no. If you did anything else, I don't want to know." Weiss just nodded, and continued to stroke Ruby's hair.

"I told her," Weiss said softly. "And she told me the same." Yang smiled, and looked over Weiss again.

"I'm glad that you make my sister happy," she replied, keeping her voice soft for the sleeping Ruby's sake. "And I'm glad you two care so much for each other. But the threat I made when you first started dating still holds true. If you break her heart, I break you. Are we clear?" Weiss just nodded, not nearly as intimidated by Yang as she had been before. "Good."

Yang went to sit down on her bed, but then quickly changed her mind. The brawler hung her legs down from the bunk, and slowly lowered herself down to Blake. The Faunus just lowered her book to beneath her eyes, and glared at her brawler girlfriend.

"Yes?" She said, keeping her monotone voice up.

"I just came to hang with my favorite kitty cat," Yang said with a grin. Blake just raised up her book, and Yang just waited. When Blake didn't lower her book, Yang managed to realize something.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked nervously.

"Nope," Blake said. She continued to read, leaving Yang to just sit awkwardly. _What's going on with her? _Yang wondered.

"Is it that time of month?" Yang tried.

"Definitely not," Blake said easily. Yang was running out of options. She quickly searched through her emergency annoy Blake drawer, and pulled out a laser pointer. She quickly shined it on the wall next to her feline friend, and Blake just kept on reading.

Of course Blake didn't chase laser pointers. That was a cat thing, and Blake was a Faunus. But Yang could always get an annoyed/cute reaction out of Blake. Sometimes she would even play along as Yang led the laser pointer right to herself. But now, Blake was just reading her book. Something was up with her, and Yang knew the perfect way to get her out of it.

"Ruby, Weiss," Yang said aloud. "Can you go and get some water? I think we're out."

"We're not out," Ruby said confused. Weiss looked at Yang, and saw where her hands rested.

"Yes we are," Weiss said immediately. She grabbed her partner, and dragged her out of the room. Ruby may of have been beautifully innocent, but Weiss was no fool. She knew exactly what was going on.

The door closed, and Yang lowered the book down from Blake's eyes. She lifted up her shirt, and just sat there for a moment. A single bead of sweat formed on Blake's forehead, something that Yang did notice. Soon, Blake couldn't take it. She reached forward, but Yang stepped back.

"Got you," the brawler said. "Now what was that about?" Yang left her chest bare, causing Blake to raise an eyebrow. "This is your punishment," Yang explained.

"Which is strange because I was punishing you," Blake said. "For not telling me exactly what was going on with Ruby and Weiss."

"Why should I?" Yang asked.

"Because it's my team too, and you dragged me out of the apartment," Blake said plainly. She leaned forward, and purred softly. She lowered her head down to Yang's chest, and blew softly. Yang shivered, but then Blake immediately sat up. "And I can always do that," Blake said smugly.

"Dammit Blake," Yang said angrily. Perhaps the Faunus had learned a thing or two about what exactly made Yang tick sexually. And did that piss Yang off.

_Elsewhere_

The four criminals all looked over the tomb, and just felt over every detail. The stone carvings were all lined with dust. The crystals and lines all completely burnt out. The actual stones themselves were plain, gray, and nothing. The cover to the tomb was lying next to the actual tomb itself, the stone completely cracked.

"Is this where it happened?" The man with the cane asked.

_No, _it boomed. _I just happen to like this spot. Now, do you have the modifications or not? _

"I have them," the other man said. He pulled open a case of long dust crystals, and set them over the tomb.

_Shall we begin with something simple? _It wondered.

"Simple?" the woman in red asked. "What's simple?"

_A Beowolf, Cinder. Pay attention. _It formed a dark cloud, and let the energy come together. A small bundle of electricity came together from within it, and a dark shape started to replace the light. Soon, and Beowolf was present. It immediately tried to leap at the four human presences, but Grimm ordered it down.

_These people are going to help us, my pet, _it thought maliciously. The Beowolf sat down, but it quickly ordered the Beowolf to move next to the crystals that the other four had brought. Grimm quickly formed it's energy together, and the Beowolf started to howl out. The crystals energy were transferred over, combined, and then absorbed.

The cloud cleared, and the four humans just looked on in amazement.

_And so the first of it's kind is active, _Grimm thought happily. _I wonder how many more of those you have?_

"Not enough," the man with the cane said. "We'll need more of these crystals."

_Now you have something to help you get it. We begin tomorrow. It's time to test what this beast's weaknesses and strengths are. Well, modified weaknesses and strengths._

**End: Super short update, I'm sorry. Get mad at me, but at least it's a chapter. Obviously this mysterious new Beowolf has something to do with stuff, so I needed to create him before the big reveal of this thing. Also, I'm going to spring a lemon on you instead of letting you know in advance {if it comes to that}. Because the next spot for a lemon is very plot relevant, and very much so a step forward with some things. So, I want to know ahead of time. But, I still want to raise the stakes for lemon to see how absurd it has to get {as a personal thing}. I've tried reviews, and follows/favorites, and both of those resulted in short lemon. So, I will try and make a long one IF I get 5 NEW twitter followers, and they tweet at me, #Lemons. If this doesn't happen by the next chapter I write of this, then I'll change it to something else but I just want to see if this'll happen. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	34. Opposites Attract

A Harsh Reality Ch. 34: Opposites Attract

**Okay, so I actually got 5 twitter followers but only 2 lemon votes that way {since I had the whole tweet #lemonz}. So changing it. It's quite simple, I want you to get me to 120 followers and 80 favorites for lemon. At this point in the story, 6 more followers might be difficult but I just wanna see how this plays out {gotta step up how ridiculous these are every time}. Questions and whatnot to address, Grimm is an it. It has no human allegiance to gender, so it goes by it. It's sarcastic and condescending because I want one of my villains to be like that. As for Krazyfanfiction1's comment, yeah no I have no life. Kidding-ish. Fanfiction takes up a lot of time in my life, which is fine because it's a great stress relief. I don't really have that much important stuff going on. I do have a girlfriend finally, so I might actually try a date or something and be good at writing romance and stuff. I still don't think I'm as good as Rapey Lemons. I mean, my username alone is already putting me behind him. I don't proofread or anything, but I'll take the compliment. Finally, thank you to everyone for getting me at 110 followers. This is the first time that one of my stories has hit a major milestone before Child of Grimm has {which makes me extremely happy}. Thank you, and let's get going.**

Torchwick kneeled to the ground, and sighed. It had been a long, awkward flight over to the location. The beast was seated next to him, and every time it... Spoke, it was done in the voice of Grimm. Torchwick had to guess that it was currently under it's full control, which made him feel panicked. The beast had been designed specifically to combine what made man so strong against Grimm, and Grimm so strong against man. Now, it was time to execute their plan. The largest source of raw dust within the given radius that Grimm had requested, and it was time to hit it. It was time to see how well this beast worked for their plan.

Torchwick finally stepped out of his hiding spot, and confidently stepped forward. The security guards spotted him, and quickly raised up their rifles.

"Good evening gentlemen," Torchwick said, using the lines that Grimm had prepared for him. "I can promise that I won't hurt you. So, if you will, let me go in peace."

"You're a wanted criminal," the first guard said. "We have to take you in." Several other guards, and even some hunters, started to form a wall in front of him.

"Well, I am a man of my word," Torchwick said softly. "I said that I wouldn't hurt you, any of you. I shall instead allow my pet to demonstrate it's ability." Torchwick stepped back, and felt a presence jump up into the air behind him, and land directly in front of him. All of the guards backed away, and gasped in shock.

A Beowolf had landed just in front of Torchwick. It wasn't exceptionally large, nor exceptionally tall. But there was one thing that made it stand out. On all of the bone spikes that were protruding out from it's body, was coated with layers of dust. Red, blue, green, orange, and several other types of dust.

"What the fuck?" One of the guards asked.

"Shoot it!" Another one yelled out. All of them open fired with their rifles, and the Beowolf just waited.

It waited for it's chance, and then slammed it's paws on the ground. A sold wall of stone was raised in front of it, and all of the bullets just reflected off of it. The bullets all stopped, as every security officer had run out of ammo. The wall lowered, and the Beowolf leapt forward. It quickly used the added strength from the dust in to crush two of the guards heads. It quickly turned around, and shot out a ice from it's spikes, impaling some of the guards. It quickly blew out a column of flames, and burned down some of the other guard's.

Torchwick just calmly lit a cigarette, and then stood in wait. There was no reason for him to feel concerned. The Dust Grimm would kill the guards, and he would simply just load the ship. Times had never been so easy.

_Later On_

Ruby just kneeled over the mangled body, and sighed. Local forces had gotten a call a while ago, and they called hunters. But whatever had done this had done two things. It left no survivor's, and it left no evidence. Well, no clear evidence. They had bite marks, claw marks, burn marks, water, stone fragments, and many other small pieces of items that made no sense together.

It was a disturbing sight for the members of RWBY. Every body was completely destroyed beyond recognition. Security, hunters, workers, families that had been visiting. If there wasn't a log to account for who went where, they would never learn who had died. It was a sobering sight for everyone. Signs pointed to one attacker, but how could one person do that much damage?

"RWBY," one of the hunters on hand said. "You might want to see this." The four girls nodded, and ran off to meet him.

Upon entering, they noticed that the hunter had his scroll hooked up to the security footage.

"So we patched into the footage like you asked," he explained. "And the camera's were taken out, but we were able to recover some of the footage." He tapped out some things on his scroll, and froze two of the images. He pointed at one of them, and just shook his head.

"Roman Torchwick," he said. "He's back at it. But, he didn't attack any of them from what we could tell." He zoomed in on the second images, and just shuddered. "It's a Beowolf, but look at it's bones." The girls all looked closer, and realized what he was talking about. Every piece of the bones was coated in dust. How was that possible?

_Unknown Location_

Torchwick unloaded the last crate, and just breathed a sigh of relief. The DustWolf {as he had decided to call it} had watched over him the whole time, not showing signs of letting up for a moment.

_You did well, Roman, _Grimm's voice came from the DustWolf. _It must of have not been easy to do what I asked you to do with the price on your head._

"How do you know about that?" Torchwick asked angrily.

_Simple. Because I have been observing man for years. Do you really think that I'm not prepared for the eventuality of myself coming back and having to deal with man?_

"Ahem," a loud cough came. Grimm spun around his DustWolf, and Torchwick turned around. They both saw the other three waiting on them, and the DustWolf let out a wolfish grin.

_Hello, _it greeted. _And how are you three? _One of them opened up their mouths for a moment. _If you're answering my question, I will kill you. _

"Good thing that wasn't my plan," the one in red said. "What are your plans moving forward?"

_Craft more Dust Grimm. Craft more elaborate Dust Grimm. Craft stronger Dust Grimm. Kill every man, and eradicate their presence on this planet. Of course, I'll be keeping you as my pets._

"Better then death," Torchwick said softly.

_Yes, and you would do well to remember that. Now, let us do something for a show of force. We have the dust, now it is time to show hunters exactly what it is that my new creation can do._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The four girls wordlessly entered into their dorm, the image of the Grimm still in their minds. Never before had anything like this been spotted, but all four of them knew what this meant. The one main advantage that man had over Grimm was always dust. The ability to wield dust kept them one step ahead of Grimm, but now they could do the same. Nothing about this made sense, and worse nothing about this made any of them feel confident. That incredible feeling that they had not too long ago, all of it gone.

All four of them heard their scrolls ping, and they briefly checked.

_Hunter outpost station that is nearby. All hands on deck._

Team RWBY put away their scrolls, and pulled out their weapons. They all took off towards where they knew the base was, and ran as fast as possible.

_Hunter Outpost_

The DustWolf crushed another two hunters, and quickly raised up a wall of stone to block bullets. As soon as one of the hunters jumped over the wall, it threw forward ice spikes. The hunter's aura managed to break them off, but the DustWolf was relentless. It kept up a solid barrage of ice, not letting up for an instant. Soon, one broke through. After one did, the hunter's chest became a pincushion of ice.

Team RWBY arrived in time to see the hunter fall over, and they just looked on in horror. They knew this particular hunter, and they had just witnessed his death. It filled them with sadness, and rage. Yang ran forward, and took a swing straight at the DustWolf. It easily jumped out of the way, and blew forward a column of flames. Yang managed to roll out of the way, but she quickly stood on her toes and waited. Blake jumped over her partner, and swung around Gambol Shroud's ribbon. The DustWolf easily blocked it, and raised up a line of stone into the Faunus' stomach. Blake fell back, and Yang managed to catch her just off the ground.

Ruby sprinted forward, and fired off a round from Crescent Rose to bring herself forward. The DustWolf blew out flames, and Ruby was able to slide underneath it. The DustWolf timed his strike to the ground with her slide, and was able to raise up a wave of stone. Ruby was sent flying, and Weiss managed to raise up a glyph to help lower her. The heiress quickly flew forward, and swung around her blade at the DustWolf. It easily blocked the strike with stone, and quickly hit out one of the sections of stone and sent it flying into Weiss' stomach.

After she landed, all four girls stood up. This thing showed no signs of slowing down, no weakness, nothing. _Unless, _Ruby thought.

"Guys," she said, her brain making a connection. "It's only blocking strikes with things like stone. The dust must be volatile. Aim for the dust." The other girls nodded, and open fired. The DustWolf easily blocked all of the bullets with stone, and then blew out a column of flames. RWBY was able to get out of the way, but the DustWolf started to move forward.

"Weiss," Ruby called out. "Protect me."

"Protect you?" Weiss asked. Without elaborating, Ruby jumped out and ran forward. The DustWolf blew forward flames, and Ruby fired off a shot to get herself into the air. The DustWolf just shifted it's attention to above, and kept up the flames. Weiss realized what Ruby wanted, and raised up a glyph to block the flames. Ruby kept up her course, and Weiss kept up her glyph.

When Ruby was right over the DustWolf, she fired off as many rounds as she could. The fire was still there, blocking her vision. But Ruby would of have been able to tell when it was that she hit something. A bullet finally made contact with one of the spikes, and the spike exploded. The single explosion caused a chain reaction, and sent Ruby flying through the air.

The younger girl blacked out almost immediately, and Yang ran forward to catch her. She caught Ruby just off the ground, and immediately checked for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief, and gently laid Ruby down. She looked behind her, but saw Weiss and Blake looking above her.

"What?" Yang asked. She turned towards where they were looking, and her heart dropped to the floor. There was a large, black cloud that had red and yellow glows visible within it.

_So you have defeated the prototype, _it said. It wasn't said, that was the wrong word. They could hear it's voice within their minds. It was deep, scratchy, and echoey. _Wonderful. But, your struggles have encouraged me moving forward. Goodbye for now, and carry on this message. Grimm will destroy man this time, make no mistake about it. _The cloud disperesed, and the three girls just watched on in stunned silence. Did it just say, Grimm?

**End: Dust basically enhances a Grimm's strength, speed, and it gives them to ability to do dust-y stuff. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	35. Recovery

A Harsh Reality Ch. 35: Recovery

**Okay, something that I do need to tell you about how the DustWolf was so good, but other stuff will naturally resolve itself. The actual DustWolf holds about the same intelligence as every other Beowolf. It has a pack mentality, and a hunters instinct. So it wasn't actually that smart, Grimm is. More details in this chapter about how that works, but that's something that should be clarified. As for how I can do all the OC's and concepts that I do, I just pull stuff out of my ass that I think would be cool/OP. Finally, the reason I stick in the warnings is so that you know where to skip over if you don't want to read lemon stuff. I should probably stick in a warning after too so you know when you can start reading it again. Ah well, always next time. Remember that 120/80 thing I said would be hard? Well, y'all got me to 125/90 so thank you so much for that, even if that does mean that I have to write more lemon. Ah well, here's the chapter you wonderful people.**

Torchwick watched as the black cloud that was Grimm form at the front of the ruins. Since forming up their allegiance, Grimm had made it clear that most of their meetings would take place by the ruins. Simply put, they would comply. Grimm and them wanted the same goal. Plus, Grimm was offering immunity for them if it was successful. That was an offer they couldn't refuse.

_The DustWolf is gone, _it said proudly. _But that hunter base is destroyed beyond repair. And, I learned that a small DustWolf causes that much problems. The time to increase will become more._

"But how will you handle it?" Torchwick asked. "Controlling that one Grimm made you almost completely gone."

_You fool, I only had one Grimm that I had to control. Something as powerful as dust needed to be watched over, and I was there to do so. I can still control multiple Grimm, but I only had to control one. We need five more to get out there. I will craft a Boarbatusk, two Ursai, and two more Beowolves. Let us see how far I can stretch our resources. _

_Beacon Academy: Professor Ozpin's Office_

The four stunned members of team RWBY silently entered into their headmaster's office, and took a seat. Ozpin watched them as they entered, and carefully studied their faces.

"Is the Grimm taken care of?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah," Ruby said lightly, rubbing her head. She had woken up from her concussion while on the bullhead, and her team had filled her in on the details of what happened after. She didn't believe it when Yang first told her, but then Weiss and Blake backed her up. It was something completely bizarre, something that couldn't be true.

"Then why do you four look like you failed?" Ozpin continued.

"Because we did," Ruby said quietly. "I-I was knocked out, so I think it's best if someone else tells you."

"Tells me what?" Ozpin asked, his frustration building.

"We killed the Grimm," Weiss said, choosing to bail her girlfriend out. "And when we did, something happened. Some kind of a black cloud with a red and yellow glow formed, and then it... It spoke or something along those lines." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, and just looked straight ahead. "It called itself-."

"Grimm," Ozpin finished. "You saw Grimm." Ozpin stood, and walked over to the window and surveyed the damages that were still being repaired around Beacon. "The Legend of Grimm is not a fairy tale, just as I assumed and feared." He gently picked up a stack of papers, and pulled out one of them. He tossed it to the four girls, and then walked back over to the window. "In there is what I was able to write about the Legend of Grimm {**A/N**}. It is everything that I saw, and it's the best source for it. I suggest you read up. If Torchwick was involved in the robbery, that means that they have all been recruited by it. It's going to use what it's learned to destroy man. All hands are now on deck."

"But we killed the DustWolf," Yang said confidently. "We killed the Taituo, the Releo, Teriphile, and the Ritigoru. What's the issue?"

"A Beowolf is one of the most generic form of Grimm {**A/N**}," Ozpin said, his voice sounding distant. "A Beowolf, or an Ursa, or even a Boarbatusk are all the three most basic forms of Grimm. Can you imagine a Nevermore or a Death Stalker with that same level of power? Or how about this, think of the struggles you had with the Taituo and Teriphile. No, this is going to evolve into something much larger." He sighed, and went to sit back down.

"Tomorrow is going to be a special assembly for the entire school," he started. "I will find the footage from the hunter base, if anything exists from the destruction. I will also pull up the footage from the DustWolf attack on the dust mine. You are all dismissed for now. Try to live your lives normally." Team RWBY nodded, and went to leave.

The door closed, and Ozpin pulled out his scroll. All that was left was a simple message from Summer, written before she had died.

_It's back. The Legend is back, and it's coming after me. Protect Ruby, she might be the key to this problem._

It all made too much sense now. A simple warning that should of have been addressed when Summer died, but one that no one understood until then. The unfortunate harshness of this current reality was that they were under prepared.

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

The door opened up, and the four girls wordlessly entered into the room. Weiss, Ruby, and Yang did so because they were caught off guard. They weren't prepared for the idea of the story, the one that they had heard so many times before, to be real. It scared them. The main tales that they had heard indicated that Grimm had only been defeated off of a surprise. Something about killing one of the Grimm that it had done. How would they defeat it?

Blake was more prepared. She had suspected something while looking over her report and the recent Grimm encounters. Plus, the White Fang used to talk about Grimm like a god of some sort. Something that had the ability to increase the powers of creatures, beats. This talk only came up after they shifted to a new leader, which worried Blake. Would they ally themselves with Grimm when the time came around? Only time would begin to tell. To pass the time, Blake pulled out the file.

All four girls read through it, and a few things that weren't mentioned in any versions that they had ever read stood out to them. The first, the lack of names. It was one of the rare things that was never comprehensive from story to story. Alexis would become Aleya from one story to the next. The second, how Grimm was defeated. It placed too much of itself into one Grimm, and when that Grimm was killed, it was forced to release it's energy so that it could be contained. With so much of it contained, it was almost powerless. Everyone's best guess was that what little remained continued to work with the Grimm that were created in an attempt to lower man's numbers. The final detail, the weapon that had killed the Nevermore, a scythe. None of them were entirely positive as to whether or not they become the first to discover Grimm, and then this detail happens to be evident. But none of them were willing to say anything.

Yang, the slowest reader, finally placed aside her files, and just shook her head.

"I can't believe this," she mumbled. "The Legend of Grimm is a real thing, and it's killed real people. How are we going to attack something that's just a black cloud that happens to glow red and yellow?"

"We don't," Ruby said instantly. "According to this, that's impossible. We'll have to just contain it again, and hope that it'd stay like that."

"I'm with Ruby," Weiss said. "Containment seems to be the best, and only, course of action." Blake just wordlessly nodded, and then leaned back in her bed. Yang sensed her partner's distress, and climbed down with her. It was going to be a long day.

_Ancient Ruins_

Torchwick, who had somehow managed to gain the main go between for the other three and Grimm, walked over to where the cloud rested.

"You sent a messenger?" Torchwick asked. A Beowolf had come leaping into their base, and the meaning couldn't of have been clearer.

_Yes, _Grimm's voice came. _I have crafted a new Grimm. Only this time, I simply need you to see it._

"Why is that?" Torchwick asked.

_Because, you imbecile, this one isn't recognizable on sight. It also would help if you could somehow release these somewhere else, speed up the mayhem. _Torchwick just nodded, afraid that it might try and kill him. That wouldn't be hard to do for Grimm either. _Are you aware of Rapier Wasps? _Torchwick nodded, remembering how nasty those little Grimm were. They packed nothing lethal, but one sting could hurt terribly for days. _Allow me to introduce you to it's successor. _A small mosquito flew over, and landed on one of the pillars next to Torchwick.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," he said cautiously. "What is this and how will it help us?"

_This, is a Hypomos. It's my play off of what you humans view as annoying mosquitoes. You hate it when they "bite" you, so let's ramp that up a little bit. It's non lethal, because toxin isn't my specialty. But it does have a few things that might be able to keep some people at bay for a long time. And better yet, soft targets._

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss finally stood up, and let out a deep sigh.

"I can't sit here with just this," she said. "I'm going to the library. Would any of you care to join me?" Ruby instantly stood up, and looked back at Blake and Yang. Yang watched over Blake carefully, and saw her not even make a move. This was completely out of character for Blake. Something was off with her, and now it was Yang's turn to play detective.

"You guys go ahead," the brawler said, her voice implying everything that she needed it too. "We'll stay behind." Weiss and Ruby just nodded, and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Yang dropped down to where Blake was.

"What's wrong?" She asked, wrapping her arm around the Faunus.

"Nothing," Blake said, her voice sounding incredibly distant.

"That's not nothing," Yang said instantly. "Please, what's wrong? I know it's only been a little bit, but you've been completely gone since Grimm. Please, let me help you." Blake nodded, and then sighed.

"When I was on the streets, it became clear to me that a Faunus didn't fit in anywhere. We weren't a beast, but nor were we a man. We didn't fit any stereotype that anyone wanted to put on us, so we just became killers. The Creatures of Grimm became the number one reason that Faunus' were kicked out of normal society, so I have a harbored hatred for them anyways. But after the leader change in the White Fang, the Legend of Grimm became a popular conversation topic. I hated the idea that it could be real, because that would mean that there's a single source for the reason that I'm an outcast. Now that I've seen it, I'm afraid. How are we going to stop this thing?" Yang just lightly kissed her girlfriend, and gently rested her hand on Blake's cheek.

"We'll find a way," Yang said softly. "Don't worry." Blake suddenly pulled Yang in for a longer kiss, and just held it there.

**WARNING: A CITRUSY FRUIT IS INBOUND**

Blake let her hand trail down to Yang's chest, and just started to lightly caress her breast. Yang moaned softly, and Blake kept going. Yang broke the kiss, and then followed her partner's lead, and found Blake's chest. As opposed to going for that, she let her hand go down further. She found exactly what she wanted, and gently slid her hand into Blake's underwear. Blake let out a sudden gasp, and Yang began a slow pumping motion.

Blake began to have difficulties keeping up her motion, and that attempt. She took off the first article of clothing in the encounter, and tossed Yang's shirt and jacket to the ground. She then thanked the fact that Yang never wore a bra, and latched onto her right breast with her mouth. Soon, it was Yang who was giving out short gasps of breath. She made a decision, and pushed Blake onto her back.

She lowered her head down towards Blake's thighs, and moved in. Blake suddenly let out a loud moan as Yang's tongue entered her. Yang had managed to only remove her girlfriend's underwear, giving her perfect access to the most pleasurable part of her girlfriend. With Yang's expert tongue, Blake soon reached climax. She let out a very loud moan {one that they were positive someone must have heard}, and gushed out fluids. Blake fell back, and started to move towards Yang.

**It's Over**

"It's fine," Yang said instantly. "This was to comfort you. How do you feel now?"

"Better," Blake replied, smiling widely. "Thanks Yang." She laid back, and let her girlfriend pull her in a hug. Yang always knew how to break Blake's exterior, no matter how hard she tried to keep it up.

What neither girl noticed, or what both of them were too preoccupied to notice, was the tiny mosquito on the wall. It was the Hypomos that Grimm had crafted, and Grimm was currently in the mind of the tiny bug. A moment of weakness, vulnerability, openness. The Faunus girl had left herself available for Grimm to plant something in her mind. A seed that would sprout eventually. Damage done there, time to explore a little more.

It flew underneath the door frame, and quietly worked it's way into the halls. It spotted something of interest, and quickly waited.

Ruby and Weiss walked down the halls without much worry. Nothing else may of have existed on Grimm, but plenty existed on the Grimm that existed. If they couldn't learn how to fight Grimm, maybe they could try and stop the monsters it made.

Ruby felt a small prick on her neck, and she quickly swatted at it. She turned in that direction, and watched as a small black cloud floated off. Wait, a small black cloud? That seemed familiar.

"Something wrong?" Weiss asked, noticing her partner's hesitation.

"No," Ruby said, shaking her head wildly. "I just got bit by a mosquito, that's all." Weiss nodded, and kept moving forward. Ruby did too, but she kept looking behind her. Almost sensing something off with her neck.

**End: Fixed the lemon warning. So I took yesterday off, so please no one hate me for it. Okay, first A/N, the Legend of Grimm thing is the one shot that I wrote called Legend of Grimm. This Ozpin and myself have similar minds. Second A/N, I just default to Beowolves so I thought I'd include that. I am happy to say that I did purchase a ticket to RTX {or Volume 2 premiere of RWBY} so if you have your ticket or plan on getting one you can come and meet me, which will be so underwhelming then what it is that you think of me, no matter what. Yeah, questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	36. Seeds

A Harsh Reality Ch. 36: Seeds

**So this story is having a reverse of Child of Grimm for me. The longer I go {especially since Grimm came along part-way through} the more excited I am about this moving forward. Addressing reviews, I'm not at all concerned about still being crippled by the time RTX comes around so I should be fine {recovery time is 6-12 months I'm like 1 month in on rehabbing, etc. etc.}. Next is for Krazyfanfiction1, I did actually consider having the Hypomos be more venemous or having blades {the last one you did suggest} but then I realized something. All of the Grimm that we've seen in the show had not had particularly strong venom, or anything apart from bones and teeth. So I decided that the dust Grimm is where I'd draw the line. So nothing like that moving forward. Finally, I have to thank all of you for getting this story to over 130 followers! I am sitting here in awe of how my first real shipping story is doing. Anyways, y'all don't care, so let's get this bitch going again.**

Grimm fully materialized, and saw that Torchwick was waiting on him.

_Do you ever do anything else? _Grimm asked.

"As of late, no," Torchwick said. "How did it go?"

_The Hypomos is dead, but it served it's purpose. It really is simple to make them. As a bonus, I caught two of the girls that you have been having so many problems with post... What is it that you call it?_

"Sex?" Torchwick tried.

_Yes, sex. Now, I caught both of them after that, leaving one of them with their guards down. A simple seed was planted in her mind, along with the one in the red hood. The water will be easily supplied through them. Black and Red are universal colors of death and blood, I've noticed. So there are no more appropriate people to weaken._

"They'll die?" Torchwick asked, his interest incredibly raised.

_No. I already told you the Hypomos is non-lethal. A vessel like a King Taijitu contains venom within the animal before the Grimm. Something like a Hypomos, I can only transfer sickness. Something that I administered yesterday. Black will be weakened mentally, which is never something to underestimate. All we have to do, is lie in wait._

"What about Weiss and Yang?" The black cloud started to come together, and it floated straight at Torchwick. "I mean White and Yellow!"

_Ah, those two. White cares deeply for Red, and Yellow deeply cares for Black. Just watch as the chaos unravels, and then we'll strike. Until then, I shall prepare the next wave of Dust Grimm._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Yang finally awoke, and she quickly sat up in Blake's bed. She looked around for her quiet partner, but noticed that she was absent. Nothing seemed too wrong to her, and she just got up easily. She walked around the dorm, and noticed that someone was still asleep in Weiss' bed. _So Weiss is still asleep, _Yang thought, a small smile on her face. _I beat her out this time. _Yang turned away, thinking about the red of the bed sheets and-._  
_

Wait, something was wrong. Yang left the kitchen, and looked at the bed.

"Ruby?" Yang asked. The only response was a loud groan, and her little sister shifted positions. "Ruby what's wrong?"

"I'm sick," her sister groaned.

"What? How? Do you need anything? Why did Weiss and Blake leave you alone?"

"Stoooooop!" Ruby groaned again. She turned away from Yang, her diseased mind trying to slow down the flow of questions.

"Okay," Yang said softly, completely changing her tone. "Do you need anything?"

"Nooooo."

"Do you know what you're sick with?"

"Nooooo,"

"Where are Blake and Weiss?"

"They're getting stuff or something." Yang nodded, and sat down next to her sister's bed. She was going to wait until Ruby needed something. Even though it might take until Blake and Weiss returned.

_Blake and Weiss_

Both girls were walking around a health market, trying to find anything that might help Ruby. Weiss had woken to horrible noises {luckily Ruby was leaning on the other side of the bed}. Blake had come over to help, and the two girls had cleaned up the mess. Both of them had taken care of Ruby, but quickly realized that they needed to get something to help Ruby calm down. Trusting Yang {when she woke up}, the two girls set off.

But something was wrong with Blake. She was doing everything that she could to hide it from Weiss, not wanting to let the heiress into her thoughts. She was beginning to doubt that man would be safe. There was a reason that Grimm had only been trapped, and that just meant that no one could kill it. Now it was back, and probably smarter.

Before man, Grimm had been the dominant species. They almost continued to be that, if not for one slip up on their leader's part. Now, Grimm must of have learned more about them. It crafted a Grimm out of dust. If that didn't show innovation, then what did? This only lead Blake to one thought, destruction.

How could man beat Grimm? It was so strong, so resourceful, so powerful. These thoughts had really begun to stem early on in the day for Blake, and they had done nothing but grow. It was not only discouraging, but it was also incredibly saddening. Blake's mental condition was decaying, and she had no idea why.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, shaking the Faunus lightly.

"Huh?" Blake asked, snapping back to reality. "Oh, yeah. I was just concerned about Ruby." Weiss' expression changed from curiosity to concern, and she set on her path.

Weiss was oblivious to the idea that anything might be wrong with Blake. All of her thoughts rested on her ailing partner, scaring her to an immense amount. Weiss had dealt with sickness before. It was one of the things about her father's teachings that had actually made her feel happy, and that was the ability to care for those while they were sick.

This meant a lot of trips to hospitals to see what kind of diseases there were. There was only one issue, and that was that none of them matched what she was seeing with Ruby. Vomiting, trouble focusing, pain, inability to move, everything that was in the books, Ruby had. It made no sense to her, which did nothing but frighten her. If this disease was so rare, or if it was completely unheard of, how would simple remedies treat it? Unfortunately, there was only one thing that Weiss could do. And there was nothing more frustrating then watching someone you love suffer with nothing that you can do to save them.

_An hour later: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The knock on the door was the single most welcome thing that Yang had heard. Ruby had done nothing but vomit {encouraging Yang to have a rotation of buckets}, complain of pain, headaches, cramps, difficulty moving, etc. etc. It was a cruel level of torture to see anyone that you love in any form of pain. That knock meant that Weiss and Blake had returned, meaning a possible aid to Ruby's ail.

Yang opened up the door, and found herself wondering what the two of them might have had picked out.

"Okay," Weiss said, barging in without a second thought. "We have anti-nausea, some headache relievers, and even more medicine. Do you think you can take one?" Before Yang could comprehend what was going on, Weiss was by Ruby's bed. She gently brushed aside her partner's hair, and stared down at her face.

Ruby had finally moved into the light, allowing everyone to see how pale she had become. Her face already struggled to find color, but now any thoughts of color had been completely removed. Her eyes were bulging and red, with her mouth shining from all of the things that had come out of it.

"Anything," Ruby groaned. "Just give me anything to stop any of this." Weiss nodded, and pulled out one of the bottles. She opened it up, and gingerly fed the pill to Ruby. The girl groaned the whole time, while Weiss just tried to get her to swallow. She finally did, and Weiss forced her to drink some water.

"We'll wait on that for a little," Weiss said softly, trying her best to mimic the comforting tone that Ruby's older sister had so often used. "Okay?" Ruby just groaned, and Weiss checked the time.

"Oh no," Weiss said softly. "We have the assembly soon."

"Well that's just great," Yang groaned. "We can't have Ruby go out to it, but we also can't leave her alone."

"I'll stay with her," Weiss volunteered. "I'll take care of her since I'm the most practically trained with medicine. You and Blake should meet with Ozpin, tell him what's going on." Yang just nodded, surprised that Weiss was taking such a commanding role.

Blake still hadn't said a word, too afraid to do so. Her mind was slowly eating itself with doubt, and that troubled Blake. Where would she be?

_Elsewhere_

_Oh how perfectly they are playing into my hand. Black will not last much longer, and I do not know if having two of them in that state will allow them to function as a unit. Yellow and White have a feud of some sort, but whether or not this will resolve is not an issue. The heart and soul of Beacon Academy, all in a second year team that will be taken down soon. It is time, my creations, to go. Now is the time to strike. You may not kill all of man, but you will heavily damage them. Victory is within our sights, and I hope that you will all cooperate with what it is that I desire. But for now, perhaps it is time to fully trigger the seed that I left within Black._

_Beacon Assembly Hall_

Yang and Blake quickly made their way over to where Ozpin was standing. He quickly looked over to the two of them, and then did a double take.

"Where's Ruby and Weiss?" He asked nervously.

"Ruby got really sick," Yang said instantly. "So Weiss has to stay with her."

"How ill?"

"Oh, it's bad. I don't think that I've ever seen any illness like this. Neither has Weiss." Ozpin nodded, and just straightened out.

"For our purposes, Weiss and Ruby are dealing with a Beowolf out brake near the school. Are we clear?" Both of the girls nodded, and now something else stood out to Ozpin. "Blake, are you okay?" Blake just nodded, not understanding Ozpin's concern. But something seemed off to him. It was her eyes. In her soul, something was eating away at her. But if Blake said she was fine, then Ozpin had to believe her.

"It's time to take the stage," one of the TA's said.

"Thank you," Ozpin said. He gestured for Blake and Yang to follow along with him, and walked over to the microphone. It was a rare instance where every student in the school was present.

"Ahem," Ozpin said, calming everyone down instantly. "Good afternoon to all of you. I'm sure that everyone is wondering why it is that I called this assembly. The time has come for something long predicted, and long feared. The return of Grimm."

"Haven't we been dealing with Grimm for a long time already?" One of the students yelled out.

"Not the Creatures of Grimm, Grimm. The one from the legend." All of the students started to speak at the same time, forcing Ozpin to slam his cane down. "Do not speak from here on out, until I finish this." All of the students went dead silent, understanding the authority that Ozpin had over them. "Now, I understand that the idea that the Legend of Grimm is real is seems like a fantasy, but here are security footage from the DustWolf attack when RWBY defeated them." The clip rolled, and Yang and Blake watched as Grimm started to form.

Something rang out in Blake's mind, and she reached up and grabbed her head.

"Are you okay?" Yang whispered.

"Yeah," Blake said. "Just a headache." Yang nodded, and turned away from Blake again.

_Give up, Black, _a voice rang out. _Give in to my temptation._

"Stop it," Blake whispered. Ozpin had resumed his speech, but Yang noticed.

"Stop what?" Yang asked her.

"Nothing," Blake said, her hands resting permanently on her ears.

_Everyone you love will die. And you will be left alive, for now. Then you'll kill yourself in your depression. You cannot win, and I will destroy you._

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Blake yelled. Everyone went dead silent as the Faunus collapsed to the floor, and held her hands over ears. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She started to turn, and for a moment everyone was too stunned to do anything about it. Yang was the first to react, and she ran over to Blake.

"I'm here," she said softly, flaring her aura to try and calm her down. But nothing was working. Blake continued to yell, and scream, and toss and turn. Something was off with her, and it was in her head. "I'm sorry," Yang said, choking back a sob. She raised up her fist, and swung it into Blake's head, knocking her out. The screams stopped, and she stopped tossing and turning. She looked almost in peace. But what had done this.

_And so Black has fallen quickly. Two down, thus dragging the other two with them. How persistence and time will degrade everything. It is time to see the results of my destruction._

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated. **


	37. Remedy

A Harsh Reality Ch. 37: Remedy

**Well ChaosPhoenix11 pretty much summed up my last several chapters perfectly. "Shit's gettin real yo." So that takes comment of the last chapter. For Krazyfanfiction, where do you come up with these ideas? Next, thank all of you for getting me over 140 followers! Where do people reading this story keep coming from? Huge thing, thank all of you for getting me to over 100 favorites, my first story to hit a milestone like that! That is truly incredible to me, so thank all of you so much for that. Finally, being feeling like writing a dark/angsty thing as of late. Have 0 full plot ideas, so you're one of the groups that is going to suffer the angst. No apologies, just prep your bodies. Let us begin.**

Cinder went along all of the news feeds, and marveled at how easy they were too predict. Everything seemed to be about different Grimm attacks, which was no coincidence. Torchwick had reported that Grimm was going to send through a wave of attacks now that RWBY was done two members. Cinder could understand his concern with them, but perhaps it seemed a little over cautious about them.

Something about it didn't add up though. Why would his concern over them stem that far? Sure they had killed the Teriphile, Taituo, Releo, Ritigoru, and DustWolf that it had created for them, but that still didn't add up to the amount of care it was funneling into them. But, it wasn't her place to question anything. She simply had to assume that it knew the plan, and roll with everything that was thrown at them.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss gingerly fed Ruby another cracker, and checked her temperature again. Despite the mass amount of medicine that Weiss had fed her, Ruby was still burning up. Something didn't add up, and Weiss hadn't yet left her bedside {except to grab more supplies}.

"Weiss," Ruby groaned. "Why am I not feeling better?"

"I don't know," Weiss said, a tear faintly evident in her eye. Whatever was wrong with Ruby, conventional medicine clearly wasn't going to solve. Weiss looked down at the girl, and sighed. She wasn't strong enough to carry Ruby to the medical ward, but with the help of Yang and Blake she certainly would be. All she had to do was wait. Weiss heard her scroll ping, and she quickly checked it.

_Blake's in the hospital. She freaked out, and I had to get her to stop. She'll come to it soon, but we can't be there for right now. How's Ruby?_

Weiss took in a deep breath, and tapped out her reply.

_Ruby's getting worse. I need to get her somewhere where she can be properly checked out and healed. Unfortunately, I can't transport her._

The reply came very shortly after.

_Get Nora and Pyrrha to help you. I'm sure they're plenty strong enough and willing._

Weiss decided to neglect the replying part, and just looked back at Ruby.

"I'm going to run out to get some people to help you," Weiss said softly. Ruby immediately reached out, and grabbed onto Weiss' wrist.

"Don't leave me," Ruby mumbled. "Please." Weiss sighed, and pulled out her scroll. She tapped out a quick, I need you, message to Pyrrha and Nora, and stroked her partner's hair.

"I won't," Weiss promised. "I won't leave you." Ruby nodded, her sickened mind able to understand what it was that Weiss was telling her. The door opened up, and Pyrrha and Nora both entered in.

"You said you needed us," Pyrrha started.

"Sorry to bother you," Weiss said instantly. "But Ruby's really sick. I need you to help me get her to the medical bay. Blake and Yang are already there because something happened to Blake." Pyrrha and Nora's faces darkened instantly, remembering the scene that they had witnessed. Both of them instantly grabbed either side of Ruby, while Weiss made sure she had a hold on Ruby's stomach. All three of them lifted her up, and started to walk her along.

_Beacon Medical Bay_

Yang twirled around her thumbs nervously, carefully watching over her blacked out partner. Blake hadn't woken up yet, which worried Yang. Had she hit her too hard? Was this her fault? Would any future damage done to Blake be because of Yang? The nurse walked into the room, a sheet of papers in her hands.

"Well," she started out. "The good news is that there are no signs of long term damage, and the punch was only hard enough to knock her out so you're exempt from being the cause of any damage, Ms. Xiao Long."

"Wait," Yang said. "How was it only that hard and yet she's still out?"

"Something else appeared to be occupying her mind. It's shaped like an oval, and I was able to remove it through my healing semblance. But it doesn't actually follow any pattern that we've ever seen. It's gone now, and she should wake up within the next hour." Yang nodded, a feeling of relief temporarily flooding her. That feeling was bashed pretty quickly when Pyrrha, Nora, and Weiss came in with Ruby in their arms.

"What happened?" Yang asked, running over to them.

"Nothing," Weiss replied. "She just has gotten steadily worse." The nurse sighed, and shook her head.

"You kids sure do keep me busy," the nurse grumbled. "Alright, put her in an unoccupied bed." Nora, Weiss, and Pyrrha all lead Ruby over to the closest bed, and gently laid her down. The nurse quickly pulled over an IV stand, and plugged in the needle on Ruby's arm vein. She quickly swapped in a fresh bag, and started it up. After she made sure it was working, she felt Ruby's head, and activated her aura and semblance. A green glow washed over both Ruby and the nurse, and she closed her eyes.

"Jesus," the nurse muttered. She opened her eyes, and shook her head. "Whatever your leader has certainly is a real piece of work." Now Yang was standing by Weiss and the two female members of JNPR.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked cautiously.

"I mean, the most amount of symptoms that I normally get is maybe three of four. In some extreme cases, five. Ruby, she has all of them. This is an unprecedented amount of damage for anything I've ever seen. I can remove some of them right now, but not all of them. Not even close to all of them." Yang reached for the nurse's collar, but the woman easily ducked out of the way. "I'm doing this right now, calm down." The nurse placed her hand on Ruby, and closed her eyes again. The green glow overtook both of them, and the nurse shuddered at what she was clearing out. She soon had to stop, and back away from Ruby.

"That's all I can do," the nurse said. "I got rid of the headaches, cramping, and fever. But something else isn't right. It's fighting me as I try to get it out." She shook her head, and just sighed. "She'll have to stay here until I can get rid of this shit, because I have no idea whether or not they'll heal on their own." Yang and Weiss nodded. Both of them understood that neither of them were going to be leaving the medical ward anytime soon.

_Blake_

Blake was alone, on a moving train car. Something seemed off about her surroundings. She was at Beacon, in the assembly hall. When she... Oh god, did Blake break down? What happened? How did she lose herself?

Soon, a figure dropped down in front of her. Blake took a moment to regain her composure, and then identified the figure. It was... Adam? What?

"Adam?" Blake asked. She reached for her sword, but her grip was unable to unsheathe it.

"Close," a deep, raspy, echoing voice replied. "But not quite."

"Grimm," Blake replied, her mind reaching the conclusion. The two things that Blake feared the most, were now staring her in the eyes.

"Yes," the nightmare {for lack of a better term} replied. "See, I do not have too speak in your mind because we are currently present in it. I have no human form, so I picked one that you'd recognize." Blake backed away from him, silently wondering how he knew.

"You see," it continued. "I saw you and your petty partner being intimate, if that's what you humans call it. Your defenses were lowered, and I was right there. A little bug called a Hypomos, nasty piece of work, bit your teammate and leader, Red." Blake's eyes widened, understanding what he was talking about. "The cure isn't any one thing. It'll take almost all of the aura in any one person to restore her self, an amount that's almost certain to kill. But, what's important, I planted a small seed. It fed off of your fear, self-doubt, worry, everything that you tried too keep bottled up."

"Now," it pressed. "I'm here, as your _ex-_boyfriend, _ex-_partner, _ex-_alive operative. As a matter of fact, this may not be the last time you see me like this, and with many other forms of this."

"When I wake up," Blake said. "I'll have shaken your stupid seed, and I'll tell them about your plans."

"Oh, how wonderfully naive of you Black. You don't even know the info I've just given you." The nightmare stepped away, but turned back towards Blake. "The seed may be gone, but I still have a hold over you. You'll only wake up when Red's healed, and even then I might make my hold on you a bit longer. Though, this is a tasking process."

"You're going to be trapped just like you were in the legend," Blake continued, trying to disrupt his hold. All she got was a deep laugh, and a cold gaze.

"Oh I doubt that. See, the Legend neglected to mention exactly how I was trapped. No one man can trap me. It'll take a mighty force, something that none of you have." The nightmare jumped off the train, and stared ahead at Blake.

_Enjoy your trip through the tunnel ahead, Black, _it spoke, this time within her mind. _I'm sure you'll find watching those you love the most dying around you will have nothing but positive affects. Well, positive for me of course._

Before Blake could react, she entered into a dark tunnel that seemed to materialize. All she heard was a deep laugh while she entered into the tunnel of horrors.

**End: Wee bit shorter then normal, but this is where I want too be. Oh what wondrous tortures I have planned for team RWBY. Any guesses on what I meant with Grimm and "As a matter of fact, this may not be the last time you see me like this, and with many other forms of this?" I feel as though I can 100% guarantee that no one will get it. If you do, you win a special prize from me. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is always appreciated.**


	38. Things to Come

A Harsh Reality Ch. 38: Things to Come

**Happy Valentines Day! So here's my second most romantic story to celebrate {WGiL? comes later on}. First off, thanks to everyone who wished me well. It wasn't physical, it was mental so it'll fluctuate. Yesterday was just a bad day physically, so that translated to mental as well. ANYWAYS, on to the actual story. Yes, I took down the notice chapter because it is something only relevant at that point in time. Now, for the guesses. Some really interesting stuff came in. I can't tell anyone if they were right or wrong, but some interesting stuff came in. There is actually one thing I can answer, no TehUnoman the Black Knight is going to be left completely out of this story. As for how I fit everything I do into 2k or less chapters, I can't get them up to 3k. Now, thank all of you for getting me over 110 favorites, and 150 followers! This story's pace seemed to increase with the involvement of Grimm, and it's currently only being kept up with pace with by What Good is Love? You people are ridiculous. So let's get going, shall we?**

The nurse sucked out two more diseases from Ruby's body, and sat down next to her.

"It's getting really tough," she remarked. "The fewer side affects there are, the more the others fight me. On the bright side, I think she's almost done." Yang and Weiss both sighed happily, and leaned back. It had been four days since they had initially brought Ruby and Blake into the medical ward. Both of them had left at various points to grab food, but one always stayed behind. Team JNPR was picking up any slack fighting wise, but Beacon was getting buried.

Grimm attacks had spiked, including a few sightings of new Grimm that had yet to be classified. In the air, Nevermores, Taituos, and several other Grimm were taking everything out. On the ground, King Taijitus, Beowolves, Ursai, and many others were attacking. Even the ocean and underground were being bombarded with Grimm. Times had become hard, but Yang and Weiss weren't in a position to do anything. Despite the side affects being removed from Ruby's body, she was still in no condition to fight. And something was still holding Blake in her comatose state.

Which leads to something else that wasn't right, Blake. The Faunus was in an unconscious state, and had been since Yang had hit her. According to every evaluation from the nurse, Blake should have woken up in the first day. There was no damage to her brain, no indentations to her skull, nothing. Something was holding her under, and whatever it was was doing a lot more then just keeping her unconscious. Blake would call out in small bouts of fear, scream, toss and turn. It was like she was having a nightmare, but she simply couldn't wake up from it.

Yang had slept with Blake every night, too afraid to leave her alone. Weiss had stuck with Ruby, but the younger girl was finally able to sleep and so she did so a lot. Whenever Yang left to grab something, Weiss attempted to be there for Blake. But it was tough. Yang was intimate with everyone {save Weiss} on her team. Sister with Ruby, girlfriend with Blake. She could properly comfort either of them because of her level of comfort with them. Weiss couldn't say the same thing with her.

"Alright ladies," the nurse said, taking a deep breath in. "I managed to convince one of the other healing medics to drop by and finish healing Ruby up. After that, he'll probably leave since he doesn't have a shift for a bit. But, it'll solve her problem a lot faster."

"Thank you," Weiss said gratefully.

"Eh, it's my job. Plus, I'm kind of sick of you four. Four days and you haven't even asked me my name." Yang and Weiss stared at each other, realizing their error. "Roxanne," the nurse continued before either of them could ask. "My name's Roxanne, and it's fine. Very few people ever learn my name. In and out cases, long term worry, no one ever asks names because they're too busy worrying about their friends, family, and lovers." The door opened up, and Roxanne grinned.

"Looks like he's here," she said. A man walked into the room, and made his way over to Ruby. He briefly greeted both Weiss and Yang, and then went to work. He placed his hand on Ruby, and a green glow overtook both of them. Ruby was still asleep, but she made some noises of relief. After a minute, he took his hand off of the younger girl.

"That should be it," he said, shaking his hand out. "That was like nothing I've ever seen, you were right Roxanne. Any clue as to what did this to her?" Weiss and Yang shook their heads, and the medic nodded. "That's a shame. Well, thanks for calling me over. I'm always interested to see a new case." He quickly turned and left, leaving Weiss and Yang to stare at Ruby. Would she fall into the same sleep that Blake did? What would happen now?

They didn't wait very long, because Ruby's eyes slowly opened. She struggled to a sitting position, and just rubbed her head.

"Ugh," Ruby groaned. "That sucked." Weiss and Yang didn't give her a chance to try and say anything else, because both of them wrapped her in a deep hug. Ruby raised her arms in the air, and tried to choke something out. Yang and Weiss finally let up a little bit, and waited for Ruby to talk. "Please don't do that again," Ruby gasped.

"Sorry," Yang said, only partially caring as to what she said. "It's just, you were sick for so long."

"Yeah," Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head. "It was weird. I just felt like the disease my entire body, not trying to kill me but keep my incapacitated for as long as possible." Ruby just shook her head violently, trying to shake out the memories of what had just happened. "Where's Blake?" Weiss and Yang looked at each other, and then just took a deep breath in.

"Ruby," Yang said, using her soft tone of voice. "Blake's-." Before she could continue, they heard another loud gasp of air. The three girls turned in that direction, and saw Blake sitting straight up. Her face was white, her eyes petrified, and her mouth hanging open.

"Blake!" Yang said, rushing forward to hug the Faunus. Before she reached her, Blake raised up her hands to stop Yang. "Blake?"

"Is this real?" Blake asked instantly.

"What?"

"Is. This. Real." Yang nodded, and Blake seemed to tense up. "Okay."

"What happened?" Weiss asked, facing Blake but holding Ruby's hand. "Why did you react like that?"

"I have a story," Blake started. "A story about what we can expect from Grimm, what did this to Ruby, and what happened to me." All three girls went dead silent, and waited for Blake to continue. Blake took a deep breath in, and started her tale.

_Ancient Ruins_

Torchwick made sure that the case was padded, and walked over to where the black cloud rested very slowly.

"Hey," Torchwick called out. "I have the Dust crystals." The cloud slowly spun around, part of it shifting over to where Torchwick was.

_You brought all of it? _It asked, it's voice sounding very aggressive immediately.

"Is that bad?" Torchwick asked. "I brought enough to make the five Grimm."

_Now I remember another reason I dislike man. No, you imbecile. I only want enough for one, for now. Black has woken up and Red has healed, which means they're at full strength. Let's see how much further I can break Black._

"Is there any reason you're targeting her?" Torchwick asked slowly, careful of what he was going to say.

_Black is already close to breaking. I could affect more with Red or Yellow, but I feel as though targeting the weak is a very human thing to do. So, I will comply with your rules. _Torchwick nodded, and set down the Dust. _Place those in the tomb. No one will get to the Dust. _Torchwick raised the case up, and gently lowered into the sealed tomb. _Good. Now I can craft one when I deem it necessary. One thing that I ensured that I'd do is make sure that their conditions are return to action immediately. Which is excellent for the things that I have to come._

"What things?" Torchwick asked.

_Follow along with me, and you'll find out. _A black cloud broke off from the larger one, and moved along to the side. Torchwick followed along, sending off a message to Cinder. He was probably going to need more men for whatever it was that Grimm had planned.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The three girls just stared at Blake. Partway through her story, Roxanne had kicked them out. So Blake had to finish up in their dorm. She left no detail out, except the horrors she had seen. That wasn't something that Blake was willing to share yet. Now that she had finished, none of the girls knew what to say. Ruby was the one to bounce back first.

"So the Hypomos is one of our biggest threats," she said slowly, fully letting all of the details sink in. "We'll have to keep up our aura's constantly. But from what Blake said, Grimm's main intentions seem to be stopping everyone else and ruining resources. So I don't know what to expect from this."

"No one does," Weiss added in, her mind also piecing together the pieces. "Grimm knows not only his next move, but several moves after that. We're playing catch up no matter what we do." The other three members sighed, knowing fully that she was right. An unexpected scroll ping was the only thing that snapped them back to reality.

_Bullhead is outside and waiting. A Dust shop destruction to get you up to date._

Ruby sighed, and grabbed her scythe. They knew exactly what they had to do.

_Dust Shop: An Hour Later_

Team RWBY searched around the rubble, and sighed at the sight. Dust shop robberies had become more infrequent, which should have been good. But now, Dust shop destructions became more and more common. Dust mines, freighters, and warehouses were the only places being robbed anymore. But now RWBY had the unfortunate task of sorting through all of the rubble and interviewing the only patron present, the owner.

"Alright," Ruby finally said, looking down at the rubble. "Blake and Yang, you two should interview the Dust shop owner. Me and Weiss will take care of the rest of the searching."

"Weiss and I," Weiss mumbled. Ruby pretended not to notice, and just shewed Blake and Yang off. Her and Weiss continued to look through the wreckage, but Ruby kept getting a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Something wasn't right.

Blake and Yang had reached the Dust owner, who was just staring at his shop.

"Hi," Yang said, using a softer tone. "My name is Yang Xiao Long, and this is my partner Blake Belladonna. Do you mind if we ask you some questions."

"Yeah," the shopkeeper said, his voice sounding distant. "Go ahead."

"Did you see any of your attackers?" The shopkeeper nodded. "Were there any Grimm?" Another nod.

"Three Grimm and one human. It was that Torchwick guy. They came in, destroyed the shop, and then left."

"And you were left alone?" Blake asked. The shopkeeper nodded again, which intrigued the cat Faunus. Why would they leave him alive? Notoriety?

"Well thanks for your time," Yang said, knowing that this was truly all that he could remember. The shopkeeper nodded, and then turned to leave. Blake and Yang did the same, and started to walk over to their team. Yang called something out, forcing Ruby and Weiss to turn around out of reflexes. Both of their eyes widened, and they signaled for Blake and Yang to duck. They did, and something sailed over their heads.

When both of them stood up, they saw the shopkeeper holding a rifle. He had a wicked smile, and an evil grin. His eyes seemed absent, as if he had an alternate goal. Ruby quickly pulled out her scythe, and put a bullet through his chest. The shopkeeper's lifeless body fell to the ground, and dust flew up from where he fell. Team RWBY walked over to him, and took a look at the wound in his chest.

"I guess that explains why he was left alive," Weiss said, taking a look down at his body. The other three girls nodded, and left the area.

_And so they're up, and my plan has worked. Let us see how this prepares them for the future._

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated. **


	39. Vision

A Harsh Reality Ch. 39: Vision

**Okay, so someone did bring up something that I found interesting. Team RWBY's apparent disregard for care when they kill someone. I didn't notice Yang taking any pause when she cut through Junior's club, nor did I see Ruby hesitate when she killed Torchwick's goons in episode 1. So the simple fact is, RWBY {show} doesn't use blood graphics and whatnot, but they still die and RWBY doesn't seem to hesitate. Either they stand their ground, or they die. Simple as that. Anyways, let's get going. GAAAAAAAAH! I accidentally hit the back button, and since I'm forced to write on fanfiction, I just lost everything except my previously 99 word A/N paragraph. GOD DAMN FUCKING FUCK! I'm writing angry now. STATUS UPDATE: Now the webpage was unavailable when I tried to save it, so I lost all of my progress yet again. I hate everything right now.**

The black cloud hovered around the wreckage of the Dust shop. It had been a long time since the events had taken place surrounding this Dust shop, and no one was present anymore. It slowly floated it's way over to the body of the owner, and a cruel presence was cast off of it.

_And so my first gift has not been received well, _it thought. _No matter. It is time to unveil my next surprise. Let us see how well they deal with that._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

The four girls entered into their room, and just let out a sigh of relief. Blake immediately targeted her bed, and just collapsed into it. She immediately pulled out a book, and started to flip through it. It was one that Blake was familiar with, but sometimes it was good to revisit old favorites. She started to feel a presence at the foot of her bed, and fear took over. Had Grimm sent some kind of nightmare after her? Then logic took over, and she looked. It was actually something far from a nightmare. It was Yang, who was putting on her best puppy dog face, essentially begging to get in Blake's bed. The Faunus sighed, and patted the spot next to her. Yang smiled, and then climbed in.

The blonde immediately wrapped her arms around Blake, which made the Faunus decide something. She was going to deny Yang attention and tease her. Previously, Yang would try and take the book, read with her, or just bombard her with attention until the Faunus cracked. But now Blake was hardened. She could withstand anything that Yang threw at her, allowing for a challenge for the experienced lover.

On the other side of the room, Ruby was going through her notes and any news feeds about recent Grimm attacks. There had to be a connection there. She couldn't lose her team. She had experienced care, love, safety, confusion, and every other emotion because of her team. Weiss brought her a realistic view, Blake brought dependability, and Yang brought an exuberance to her. They were all so important to her in their own ways.

This was the first time that Ruby had ever genuinely considered losing her team. She had witnessed the powers of the Grimm that Grimm could conjure while it was a weakened state. She had been in the nightmares that it could force on her, she had felt the horror of the disease that it's bug could carry. Everything about Grimm scared Ruby. Was she a competent enough leader to deal with this hurdle?

Weiss could sense distraught from her leader, and sighed. She rarely went on top of her girlfriend's bunk for fear for her life, but this was a time that she was willing to do so. Weiss pulled herself up, and put her leader in her arms.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked. When Ruby didn't answer, she focused in. "Researching?"

"I had to miss something," Ruby mumbled. "There's no way he could do this all by getting by us."

"It," Weiss corrected, unable to stop herself. "But Ruby, we're not making the plans right now, Grimm is. I hate it, but you're doing fine."

"I can't lose any of you," Ruby said quietly. "The things that I saw while I was sick, they were horrible. I can't let those images be real." Weiss sighed, and kissed Ruby softly.

"Ruby," Weiss said softly. "You're fine. You're a more then capable leader. I promise, you won't lose anyone." Ruby just nodded, and leaned further into Weiss.

On the other end, Blake had to pry Yang off of her. Ruby may have been sick, but Blake had been held in a comatose state with a constant barrage of nightmares coming at her. She had watched Ruby be cut to pieces, Weiss be burned alive, and Yang be slowly skinned. It seemed the worst was always saved for Yang, meaning that Grimm had nothing but a perfect understanding of exactly what was most important to Blake. But becoming clingy wasn't on her agenda of things to do. Blake got much more happiness while playing keep away from Yang.

She walked over to the fridge, and popped it open. Blake took a look around, and then cursed loudly.

"I need to make a run to the market," she called out. "Would my rowdy chauffeur mind?" Yang smiled, and stood up. She plucked off the keys to Bumblebee while Blake grabbed the basket attachment for the bike. Before leaving, Yang popped open the fridge.

"We have plenty of food," Yang protested. "Why do we need to run to the market?"

"We have no fish," Blake countered. Yang sighed, but kept along her track.

"We'll be right back," she said in a very dejected tone. The door closed behind the pair, and both of the girls were on their way.

_Elsewhere_

No one was able to notice the small fly that was floating around Beacon. It was black, with red lines trailing along certain parts of it's body. Perhaps the trait that would have been a dead give away was the small mask over it's eyes, one of bone. But no one could see it. The Bufipy, as Grimm had named it, was a very good spy agent.

It watched as the two girls left the dorms, and it's controller was very pleased.

_And so they are playing into my hands, _it thought. _Perhaps it is time to unveil my next surprise. It's time to move out._

_Vale Marketplace_

Yang had her head turned as far towards the sky as she could while Blake carefully observed the selection. Yang loved almost everything about her partner, but there was one thing that bothered her. Blake's love of fish.

Now Yang didn't actually mind the taste of cooked fish at all. It was just the smell and slimy consistency while it was raw that bothered her. Unfortunately, you had to buy it raw. And oh how much Blake enjoyed torturing her.

"Can you hurry up?" Yang called out.

"Why?" Blake asked sweetly.

"Hurry up or I will kill someone." Blake finally paid the merchant, and watched as he packed the fish. As soon as he finished, Blake took it over to Yang, and smiled sweetly at her, too sweetly. "What?" Yang asked suspiciously. This was the part of their relationship that Blake loved. While Yang dominated the romantic and sexual side of things, Blake had complete control over the mental aspect of things.

"Oh you didn't think I'd let you leave without a special, did you?" Blake inquired. Yang groaned, and just hung her head. Blake liked to throw in "specials," which basically meant do what I say or you lose something. "If you don't carry this fish over to the bike, I won't let you sleep with me for three nights." Yang's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You wouldn't," she challenged.

"Oh, but I would." The old Yang would have told Blake to fuck off. The old Yang would have just found her own ways into that bed. The old Yang wouldn't have played anyone's game but her own. This Yang was only about two years old too.

How she missed the old Yang.

"Fine," Yang snapped, snatching the fish from her lover.

"Oh right," Blake added in, mocking remembrance. "As a bonus, I'm going to throw in a chance. Who knows what could happen if we get alone together within the next three days? I just might try to do something with you. Or maybe you won't have to lift a finger." Yang just sighed, and started over to the bike. Blake looked back at the merchant to wave, but something caught her eye. It was something subtle, something that wouldn't catch the eye of anyone. Hell, there was no reason for it to catch anyone's eye. But it did catch Blake's, and it caused the color to drain from her face.

"Blake!" Yang yelled out. "I swear, you better hurry up right now!"

"Coming," Blake said. She turned around, and ran over to Yang.

"What took you?" Yang asked.

"Just some added torture for your reward," Blake said. Yang was so nauseated from the smell of fish, that she didn't even notice the color of Blake's face nor the fear in her eyes. Instead, Yang shrugged and moved as quickly as she could to the bike, while Blake just tried to shake the image from her brain.

_Nearby_

_And so she has played into my hand yet again. It will be far too easy to break Black. No matter, her mind has been dealt with enough for today. We shall wait until a later date to resume._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Yang opened up the door, and Blake carried the packages of fish. She absentmindedly placed most of the fish in the fridge, and then went to work unpackaging one of the salmons that she had ordered. She could hear Yang taking orders for "chef paws," but she wasn't processing it.

"Just us eating fish tonight," Yang called out. "Cook me up a piece too my kitten, by the way." Blake pulled out her sword, and quickly butchered the fish. She immediately grabbed one of the few pans they had, and placed it on one of the two burners that were on their stove. She coated the bottom in vegetable oil, and then seasoned the fish lightly. As soon as the pan heated up, she tossed the fish onto it while Weiss walked over to wrap up the leftover fish {because it would bother her otherwise}.

Blake just climbed onto the counter next to the fish, and pulled out her scroll. She quickly pulled out her scroll, and clicked on something just labeled _plot. _When it opened up, it revealed a very large web. At the center of it was a circle labeled _Grimm. _There were other circles around it labeled _Torchwick, _or _Cinder, _or many other things. They all connected to something else, and eventually they made their way back to Grimm. Some circles did have _deceased _labeled over it, but Blake wasn't interested in any existing circles.

She opened up a separate area, and started to jot down some notes. Before she could finish, she smelt cooking fish. Blake forced herself to flip over the fish, and then returned to her notes. She finished up jotting down some things, and carefully look over what she wrote.

_Is it real?_

_Has it left my mind?_

_Reality or fiction?_

_Impossible_

She exited out of her notes, and sighed. Tonight was not going to be a good night, and she was suddenly incredibly grateful that Yang had won the bet. She was going to need that comforting presence of Yang by her, that much was clear to her.

**End: FINALLY! I DID IT! IT'S DONE! Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	40. Vision II

A Harsh Reality Ch. 40: Vision II

**Off to a great start, and I already deleted the tab. Only lost, roughly, 2 or so paragraphs so not that big of a deal. First off, Ruby did kill the goons in episode one {if you think those were non-lethal, you're crazy} and didn't pause over it. For the guest account, I'm perfectly content with the amount of lemons in it so far {every 10 or so chapters}. Life stuff is going to be much less frequent as time goes on because Grimm is becoming a dominant presence in the story. Thank you to the guest account pointing out flaws in Grimm's dialogue. I'll try to fix that in the future. Finally, thank all of you for getting me over 160 followers and 120 favorites! Wow, just, can't believe it. Anyways, let's get going again.**

The black cloud slowly gained size, and it's force became even more crushing then before. The time was finally coming, and that time was when Grimm's strength would come back. That meant that things may finally move a little faster.

_Excellent, _it boomed. _It's time to move some more pieces into place. Starting with you, Black._

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

It was early in the morning after Blake had seen something that made her spooked. She had to think through it, and not let her team know about it. Her mind had been unable to fully comprehend what she had seen. It was something she shouldn't have seen, something that shouldn't have been possible. Which lead Blake to one conclusion, Grimm hadn't left her head fully when it promised to. Now all that Blake had to do was keep her thoughts concealed from her team.

Yang could tell that something was off with her partner, but she wasn't quite sure as to what it was. After not sleeping with Yang for the first time in weeks, she was instantly tipped off. Since then, she had noticed that Blake's already quiet demeanor had grown even quieter, she was always scribbling notes on her scroll, and she was always sitting at the window as if she was looking for something. It was definitely troubling to her, and so she had to act on it.

"Hey Blake," Yang said, dropping down from her bunk and walking over to the Faunus. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Blake said. She turned, and gave Yang a smile. Yang almost believed her, but there was something wrong. Her eyes, they weren't their normal confident amber. They had a similar look of uncertainty that she had seen when Blake revealed that she was a member of the White Fang, when she was watching out for Adam, and most recently when she had killed Adam.

"Blake," Yang said, wrapping her arm around her partner. "You're a really bad liar. I've seen you with the notes. What happened?" Blake sighed, and leaned a little bit more into Yang's warm embrace.

"I think Grimm's still in my head," Blake said, giving in instantly. _If I hold it in, _she thought. _That might be keeping him in even more. _"I'm seeing things. Something's tampering with my vision."

"What things?" Yang asked, now feeling very concerned.

"I'm seeing," Blake started. She stopped, and then took a deep breath in. "I'm seeing things that aren't possible as far as being real." Yang nodded, understanding that maybe the images were too hard for her to deal with at that point.

"It's okay," Yang said. "At least you can perceive it's difference from reality."

"It just looked wrong," Blake said. "Not that I could perceive it, it looked like it was apart of everything else. But it felt out of place. I don't know how else to describe it." Yang nodded, and flared her aura slightly.

"Well you're safe with me. Come 'ere my kitten." Yang squeezed Blake in an even tighter hug and the cat Faunus reluctantly hugged back. "If you ever need to talk though, I'll be here."

"I figured," Blake said with a smile. "You're not moving out as far as I know."

"Oops," Yang joked. "I guess I forgot to mention something." Blake playfully shoved her partner, who quickly turned that shove into a kiss. "I'll never leave you Blake. I can promise you that."

"And there goes the last of my hopes," Blake countered. Yang just frowned in mock sadness, and Blake kissed her very quickly to wipe it off her face.

On the other side of the room, Ruby and Weiss were watching in fascination. Their relationship was never like that. It was actually quite the opposite. Blake and Yang used banter, while Ruby and Weiss used scolding. Well, Weiss used scolding. Ruby was the scold-y. But that never changed how much they cared for each other.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby said.

"What?" Weiss asked, annoyance layering her voice.

"Why don't we ever do stuff like that?" Ruby asked.

"Because you're stuck with me, dolt," Weiss scolded. Ruby just smiled, and realized something. She actually enjoyed their dynamic.

After a few minutes of playful banter between Blake and Yang, and some equally playful scolding between Ruby and Weiss, Yang finally broke away from her partner.

"Alright," Yang announced. "I think that it's time that I go out and grab some coffee. Who's with me?" Yang shot a look straight at Blake, who just sighed and stood up. Ruby and Weiss simply walked over to the coffee maker, and started to prep some.

"Thanks," Weiss said. "But we'll use some of the ones in our room."

"Since when did the heiress get stingy?" Blake asked mockingly.

"I happen to like the taste of this coffee," Weiss replied indignantly.

"Seriously?" Yang asked, stiffling a laugh. "That's unbelievable. Literally, I can't believe that."

"Ruby!" Weiss snapped. "Call off these beasts."

"Nah," Ruby replied. "I'm good."

"You do realize that when you sleep with me, it's my bed, right?" Ruby sighed, and looked pleadingly at Yang and Blake. As much as Yang loved to go after the heiress, she did love her sister.

"We'll be back soon," Yang said, dragging along Blake. Ruby and Weiss nodded, and watched them as they left.

"So now that we're alone," Ruby started. Weiss' mind instantly went astray, and she had to snap it back. _An heiress doesn't think like this, _she thought. _Come on, you don't want this. _But the little devil on her shoulder told her otherwise. _You do want this, _it said. _And you want it now._

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Weiss yelled. Ruby's face changed to concern, and Weiss' expression also changed. With all of the Grimm problems going on, saying something like that was bad. "I'm fine," Weiss said instantly. "It's just that I'm talking to myself. Carry on."

"I was just gonna say we should play some cards," Ruby said slowly. Weiss sighed, and realized how awful she must have seemed at that moment.

"Let's play cards," Weiss said with a smile, attempting to recover. Ruby smiled as well, willing to ignore Weiss' gaffe. But was it really just a gaffe? A small seed of doubt began to grow within her mind.

_Vale Coffee Shop_

Yang grabbed the coffee from the barista, and gave her a word of appreciation. She walked over to where Blake was seated, and handed her the coffee. The cat Faunus looked at the liquid completely unamused.

"I drink tea," Blake said bluntly.

"Breaking bad habits is a good thing," Yang said confidently. She kicked her boots up on the table, and leaned back calmly.

"You suck," Blake remarked with a smile.

"So long as my sucking involves you," Yang added in. She frowned, and her face contorted slightly. "Wait, that doesn't work that well with a girl. Well, either way I love you and my tongue has been in your pussy." Blake spewed out the sip of coffee, and coughed loudly. Yang was bad with vulgarity, but she normally wasn't that bad. "Good to know I can catch you off guard," Yang said proudly.

"You almost caused me to suffocate," Blake said angrily.

"Eh, you'll be fine." Blake looked up from her hunched over position, and saw something just outside the door. It was something not real, something that couldn't have been there. But Blake watched as the barista's eyes trailed over to the door, and slowly looked over. Her eyes changed to recognition, clearly acknowledging the presence.

Without a second thought, Blake rose to a standing position. She walked outside, and looked around. She could faintly hear Yang calling after her, but now she was paying no attention. She fond what she wanted, and walked after it. It seemed to get faster, and so she picked up the pace. It wasn't long before Blake was sprinting, trying so desperately to catch it.

Blake finally came close to it, and she reached out her arm to grab it. It came in contact with something, and she carefully analyzed the black fabric. Her eyes trailed up to the top, and her worst fears were realized. That one thing that she thought she would never see was staring her in the eyes.

"Adam?" Blake whispered. Her grip faltered, and the thing that appeared to be Adam ran off. Blake sunk to her knees, and felt herself break down. It was in the middle of a crowded place, and people began to stare.

Yang finally caught up to her, and wrapped Blake in her embrace.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked. "Did something hurt you?"

"No," Blake sobbed. "Just... Comfort me." Yang nodded, and flared her aura. While she wondered what happened to Blake, the Faunus just wondered what did she see.

_Excellent work. Our time here is up. Tata for now, Black._

**End: Sorry about the length. But it's a chapter update. Also, apologies about any quality issues. I hit an... Interesting low tonight emotionally and some things were done. Since writing is a stress relief, I had to do so when panic set in. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	41. Cracks

A Harsh Reality Ch. 41: Cracks

**And hiatus is over. As I have found out, writing really did help me so much that I couldn't actually take a stupidly long break. So hiatus actually ended a lot faster then I thought it would. Anyways, I can confidently tell you that Adam isn't Grimm. While I normally will just let things speculate, this time I have 0 issues shooting this one down. Now, thank you to everyone for getting me up to 180 followers and 130 favorites! This is truly awesome that so many of you joined while I was out for my 5 {or however long it was} day break. Oh yeah, one thing I did pick up while reading other FF's, keep feeding my ego and I'll feed you chapters. Sounded good to me, so start shoveling towards my ego.**

A black cloud loomed over the ancient ruins, it's presence emitting mass amounts of pressure. Black was beginning to break, thus meaning it was time to move on. But who would be the easiest? Or better yet, most impactful. But perhaps it was overthinking things. Perhaps it would simply be best to attack those that displayed cracks. Because cracks turn to breaks. And breaks turned to results.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Ruby put down her card in triumph, and laughed heartily. Ruby and Weiss had been playing cards since Blake and Yang had departed, and they had yet to wrap up a single game. All it was was back and forth for a long time, and Ruby had finally gained the final advantage. There were no wagers, but pride was always on the line whenever these two squared off.

"Looks like I win," Ruby said proudly.

"Bah," Weiss said angrily. "Only because I let you win." Ruby just smiled, and went to kiss Weiss. Before she got a chance, the door was thrown open.

"Hey g-," Ruby started. Her sentence was cut off once she realized that Blake was in tears and shaking lightly. "What happened?" Ruby asked, running over to where Blake was.

"I'm not sure," Yang said. "She ran after something. I lost her in the crowd, and when I came back she was like this." Yang rubbed Blake's shoulders, and gently laid her down in her bed. "Shhhhhh, you're okay Blake." Yang tucked in Blake, and just stared down at her.

Unfortunately, Yang hadn't seen anything. This did nothing but make her worry. Either whatever it was that Blake had seen was already gone, or Grimm was still in her mind. But regardless, Yang was forced to nurture her partner back to health. Her aura was already being used in mass quantities, yet it seemed to have little to no affect on Blake.

Blake's mind, not surprisingly, was in tatters. She had finally moved beyond Adam. His presence was all but absent from her mind, and then Grimm started to dig at his grave. Adam resurfaced, but it didn't affect Blake. She still had Yang no matter what. But now, she had seen Adam. Worse yet, she had felt Adam. Adam was definitely present in some capacity, but she wasn't sure as to what that was.

"Blake?" Yang asked, bringing the Faunus back to reality. "Do you need to talk."

"I saw him," the Faunus whispered. "He was there. I even grabbed his sleeve."

"Who?" Yang asked, leaning closer to Blake to try and ensure that she didn't miss whatever it was that Blake said.

"Adam," she whispered. "I know it sounds crazy, but I saw him. I don't know how, or by what means, but I saw him."

"Ruby, Weiss," Yang said softly. "Please go and inform Ozpin of what Blake has just told us." Ruby and Weiss nodded, and ran off.

"Blake," Yang said softly. "How did Adam seem to you?"

"Don't psycho analyze me," Blake requested. "I saw him, perfectly clear. I don't know how, or if it was just in my mind. Please, let's not do this right now. Just hold me." Yang nodded, and crawled into bed with her partner. She wrapped her arms around Blake, and just let out a steady stream of her aura. Even if it completely burned her out, Yang was going to get Blake better.

_Ozpin's Office_

Ruby knocked on the door, and stood at the ready. Neither her nor Weiss were ready for this. What they had to go off of was there most intelligent team member had seen a dead man. Someone whom Blake personally ensured was dead, and whom all of them watched be buried. From where they were standing, that didn't seem like a whole lot to go off of.

"Come in," Ozpin's voice called out. Ruby opened up the door, and both of them funneled into the room. They instantly noticed a stack of papers right next to the headmaster, one that was larger then the stacks normally were.

"Hi," Ruby said.

"Hello," Ozpin replied. "If you'll excuse me, Ms. Rose, I am going to request that you cut to the chase. As you can see, I have much to do about Grimm."

"We're actually here because of that," Weiss said instantly, deciding to take the lead. Ozpin lifted his head up in curiosity, and gestured for her to continue. "Blake saw somebody. Somebody who should be dead."

"Adam," Ruby finished, realizing that Ozpin really didn't have much time. "Adam Taurus." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, and sighed. "We don't know how," Ruby continued. "But Blake came back from a trip in tears. Ozpin, please, you know Blake."

"Yes," he said absentmindedly. "I do. Blake had her mind occupied by Grimm, correct?" Ruby and Weiss nodded, and Ozpin nodded to himself. "I will pull up security footage to confirm whether or not he was there physically. But if we discover nothing, then we must assume that Ms. Belladonna isn't safe from Grimm's mental reach. Am I clear?" Ruby and Weiss nodded, and Ozpin sighed. "You may return to your teammate now." Both Ruby and Weiss nodded, and fled the room.

The professor spun around in his chair, and pulled out his scroll. He watched as Blake and Yang journey'd through the market, and zoomed in at the moment that Blake paused. There was no mistaking who it was, but how was it him? How was Adam there?

_Team RWBY's Dorm_

Blake could feel herself beginning to grow tired. Yang's embrace greatly assisted in calming down the Faunus. But it was so much so to the point where Blake was beginning to grow tired. If she were to fall asleep, then there was no telling as to what it might hold. _But, _she thought. _If Yang were to be holding me, maybe it wouldn't be able to come after me._

"Yang," Blake whispered. "I need sleep, but I also need you to stay here. Can you do that?"

"Sure Blakey," Yang replied, lightly kissing her forehead. "I'll be right here." With one last aura flare, Blake's eyes closed shut.

Sleep came immediately for the Faunus. At first, it was dreamless. But then a setting began to form up. A single room, one that was familiar to Blake, formed. It was gray, with military like bedding. Oh, Blake knew this place all too well. This was where she stayed while in the White Fang.

"So you've finally been overcome by sleep," a deep voice echoed. Blake didn't even need to turn to know who it was. But, she still needed that one form of confirmation. Adam was just behind her, his eyes holding that same cold presence that Grimm had.

"You," Blake growled.

"Yes," Adam, in Grimm's voice, replied. "Me. Terribly sorry about the inconvenience. I thought you might like a heart to heart." A table formed up in front of Blake, and Adam/Grimm took a seat on one end of it. "Join me?" Blake slowly pulled out the chair, and stared down Grimm intensely.

"Why are you able to be here?" Blake asked, trying to regain control of the situation. She was greeted by a very cold laugh, and then an amused look from the horror.

"Don't even begin to pretend that you're in control of this situation," it said cruelly. "You very well know that I am. So, this will go as I plan. Which includes answering your questions." Blake stopped, unsure of where to go. "I am here because dreams, as you call them, are in my domain. I am able to invade your dreams, as I'm sure you should know." Blake's eyes trailed away from Grimm, and looked around. There had to be something more. Some kind of twisted horror that accompanied this visit. There always was something.

"If you're looking for something to happen you'll be disappointed," it said easily. "I decided to make this visit about me instead of you. Terribly sorry for such a selfish move."

"What did I see?" Blake asked, deciding to play along with Grimm. Though her guard was incredibly raised at that point.

"You saw your former partner," it replied with ease. "Anyone that looks there would have seen the same thing. That wasn't a trick of your mind, that was Adam. Though, as to how, you'll have to revisit an old Dust owner who recently met an end." Grimm grinned in pleasure, and Blake just stared at it intently.

"Why are you doing this?" Blake asked. So far, Grimm had willingly revealed every part of it's plan. Nothing made sense to Blake.

"Oh, it really is quite simple. You see, I'm telling you the now. Now is a very crucial part of almost all of man's plans. Yet, I am not man. I am much more intelligent then any man that you have. Now is still a piece, but I'm already five moves ahead of you. So go ahead, react to now. I'll gladly lay out all of my plans that'll exist in the now to you. But I play long term. I play for keeps." The room's image started to grow shakier, but then it solidified again.

"So it seems your body wishes to wake," Grimm echoed. "Is there anything else that you wish to know? Or shall I let you wake and inform your friends of what I've told you?"

"Let me wake," Blake said, testing the truth behind it's statement.

"So be it." The image went completely black, and then Blake felt her eyes open.

Yang was sitting next to her, her eyes trained on the Faunus. As soon as Blake woke up, Yang instantly tightened her grip on Blake's hand.

"How're you feeling?" Yang asked.

"We need to go back and look at something," Blake said absentmindedly. "Grimm just told me something."

"Wait," Weiss said. Her and Ruby had returned during Blake's nap, and both of them had shared the details with Yang about their visit with Ozpin. "Grimm spoke with you?"

"He told me everything," Blake continued. "I don't really know why, but I think it believes that we can't beat it."

"Well," Ruby said, taking a deep breath in. "Spill it."

"We need to take a look back at the Dust shop owner."

_Elsewhere_

The black cloud floated to the ground, starting to rest up it's energy. Though it was becoming stronger, it still hadn't reached full strength. But it had passed on the information that it needed to to Black. Luckily for it, Black's mental breakdown also revealed cracks in another's surface. Because it didn't matter how put together you seemed, Grimm would find your cracks.

And every crack can become a break.

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


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